Beyond the Verge
by Foreseer44
Summary: In the year 2399, the Milky Way has fallen to shambles under the rule of its new president and law is but a memory. Now, a band of interstellar mercenaries is on the verge of breaking. Will a new mission restore their glory? Or is there something far more sinister at work in the galaxy?
1. Rookie Mistakes

**~A/N~ Now that Return of the Underdogs is drawing to close or finished at this point, I figure it's time to start a new big project to keep me writing, and what could be more unique than a Total Drama space opera! I've planned out the first act and can't wait to see how this idea develops, so hopefully you guys will stick around! ;)**

* * *

_Act I_

_Chapter 1: Rookie Mistakes_

* * *

Smoke. That was all the trio saw before the explosion shot them back into the rubble of the former capitol building. The sharp, jagged boulders shredded their backs and crushed their flimsy armor upon impact, but they all stood up and wiped the blood and sweat from their greasy faces before diving behind cover. The leader of the group was a tall, muscular woman of about thirty years. Her face was covered by short, dirty-blonde hair and her cold eyes radiated with an icy glow. She immediately raised her weapon over the rocks and fired into the dusty clouds to the buzz of gunfire and rattling metal. Before she could take aim, a small chunk of metal flew over her head, the wind behind it blowing her hair back. She and the other two fighters gasped and leapt into the open as the explosive detonated, bringing more rubble to the ground.

"Run for the offices!" the woman shouted over the echoes of firepower. "Don't let up until we secure a safe zone, and if anybody says otherwise or tries to break this plan, I'll have your heads thrown into the waste chute! Got it?"

"Yes, sir!" the male solider saluted enthusiastically, raising his gun to his solider and getting ready to sprint.

The third solider nervously gnawed at her lower lip as she reluctantly agreed. "Sure thing, Jo!"

"Great," Jo exclaimed. "Now move it, sissies!"

Another grenade smashed into the wall behind them and the trio ran for it at full speed before the ground went up in a fireball. Jo led the way for her team and shot shadows in the dust as she came upon them, creating sparks of fire within the smoke that lit up the battlefield like an electric storm. The male soldier tripped and fell on the shards of rubble that lined the streets. The female gasped and tried to pull him back to his feet, but Jo wasn't too enthusiastic about taking him with them when enemies were closing in.

"Courtney, leave his ass or yours is getting toasted!" the grey-clad leader barked, letting her guard down for a few moments, enough to have a bullet graze her left arm. She fell back in pain, screaming and gripping her bleeding wound. However, she quickly got up and let out a barrage of shots across the field before she pressed on with her partners behind her, Courtney carrying the male to his feet.

After a minute of dodging gunfire, choking on smoke, and crawling through rubble-littered streets, the group dove into an office building and retreated into the maze of cubicles to treat their wounds.

Courtney laid her partner against the wall and touched his swollen ankle. "Does it hurt, Brick? Like... this?"

Brick whined as Courtney gently tugged on his leg. Tears began to leak from his eyes and he begged her stop by pushing on her shoulder. Courtney stopped and peeped over the top of the wall to check for enemies.

Jo pulled her sleeve up to her shoulder and growled at the gash in her upper arm. "Shit! That's a problem. Where's know-it-all when you need him?!"

"Uh, you told him to stay out of this one," Courtney hissed. "Remember, _fearless leader_?"

Jo glared at Courtney. "Yeah, because we need to learn to win our fights _without_ the cruiser! And with Brick-for-brains' lack of skills and your incessant whining, our chances of victory are zero unless we buff up. Got it, maggots?"

Brick sat up and looked at Jo with tired eyes. "Sure thing, ma'am. But the cruiser is a weapon, no? If we need to use it, then for the sake of the team, use it."

"I don't need your input, soldier," Jo sneered. "Now get your weapons and prepare to open fire!"

Courtney lifted her machine gun and peeked around the walls of the cubicle as Jo did the same. Brick pulled himself around the opposite wall and used the floor as a shooting rest. Sweat and blood mixed as it dripped down their faces, pooling on the floor and on their weapons. Time stood still and the trio stopped breathing for a split second. The sound of buzzing and shuffling stood on the opposite side of the door at which all arms were pointed. The door exploded and a dozen human sized machines rushed inside. These robotic assailants were outfitted with guns and armor, but the shots fired by the trio mowed them down in brilliant flashes of smoke and sparks.

Seconds passed and the attackers were in heaps on the ground. Jo and Courtney emerged from their cover with Brick right behind them, hobbling on his sprained ankle.

"Nice work, team," Jo smiled wickedly. "A little rusty on the get-go, but a definite improvement over our last run."

"Easy for you to say," Courtney said, rolling her narrowed eyes. "You nearly left us for dead _twice_!"

"And I broke my ankle," Brick sighed. "Your wound is nothing."

"At least we won this round," Jo snarled. "If it wasn't for my commandeering of this squad, you'd all be full of holes before you even reached the capital building."

Courtney crossed her arms. "Well, fine, but I just want you to know-"

Something crashed in the distance and the group froze in shock as the entire building rattled to its core. Brick whimpered and slowly retreated into the cubicle. Jo and Courtney nervously raised their rifles to shoulder height.

Jo took a deep breath and turned to Courtney. "That better not be what I think it is..."

Suddenly, the entire side of the building was blown to bits with the trio trying to hold onto the nearest cubicle walls to avoid falling out of the office. Sounds of mechanical whirring rang through the morning air and berated their ears. Jo fell to the ground and came face to face with a metal monster. In front of the building stood a colossal machine covered in white armor. Its shape was humanoid, but the torso was thick compared to the skinny waist and short, yet fat legs. The head of the machine was a solid, red, glowing eye surrounded by a thick shell of metal. In all, the tank stood at forty feet and was an obvious danger to Jo and her troops.

"It's a Gargantuan!" Courtney squealed. "I don't remember one of those in the plans!"

"Well, fire at will!" Jo commanded, raising her rifle and shooting at the small head. Her shots missed and ricocheted off the hulking chest. The Gargantuan raised its arm and let out a massive laser blast from its wrist. The group evaded the blast and flew downstairs. Jo and Courtney carried Brick down the flight and laid him to rest at the bottom of the stairs while they both ran outside the building with the Gargantuan in hot pursuit.

Courtney and Jo dashed down the ash-covered streets and pushed each other into a back alley. The machine stumbled by and scanned the narrow path before moving on.

"Great. Now we need to find a way to take _fatty_ down," Jo groaned miserably, gripping her bleeding wound. "Got any ideas?"

Courtney shook her head and slapped her neck from behind. "Not a clue. You're the _leader_; shouldn't _you _have some wild plan... like you _always _do?" She added a hint of disgust to the end of the reply, drawing a look of disdain from Jo.

"Yeah. Let's use Brickhouse for live bait. Maybe throw _you _in too," Jo grinned insanely.

"Not. Funny."

Another massive explosion rocked the city, but this time it was different. It was less intense and more contained. Jo and Courtney looked out of the alley to see Brick wobbling across the street with a grenade in his bloody palm and his gun under his shoulder. He tossed the device and the Gargantuan toppled back into the capitol building.

_"What is he doing?!_" Jo shrieked madly.

"Killing it, now move!" Courtney leapt into the open and raised her weapon, taking aim and firing at the beasts eye with precision. The lead bullets struck the red orb and the lights went out; the Gargantuan collapsed to the asphalt moments later, shaking the ground and storming up a cloud of black dust.

Courtney rushed to Brick's aid and embraced him in a hug. "You saved us, Brick. Well, somewhat, but you actually _did it_!"

"Yeah, by almost getting killed!" Jo growled, interrupting the duo and grabbing the rookie cadet by the collar of his armor. "Do you even know how _fucking_ idiotic that move was?!" Her eyes were glowing with anger, her face beet red with blood both above and under the skin. "You almost cost us the mission!"

"Watch it!" Courtney pulled Jo off and the girls fell to the ground. The brawnier of the two pushed Courtney's petite frame off and rose to her feet.

"Don't. Try that. Again!" Jo bellowed. She pulled her sweaty hair behind her ears and looked to Brick. He was sweating profusely and avoiding eye-contact, but he still held his gun in his trembling arms. "Drop the rifle, rookie," she hissed, her eyes like those of a snake, focused on her prey.

Brick sniffled and stepped forward with the rifle extended towards Jo. She reached out to grab it when disaster struck. Brick's leg gave out without warning and he fell forward. His arms were still stretched out when he hit a piece of rubble, setting the rifle off with a flash and a bang.

Courtney yelped and covered her eyes, nearly falling backwards in the panic. She opened her eyes to see Brick and Jo on the ground. Brick stood up and turned to Courtney, his eyes wide and teary. "I... I didn't..."

Courtney looked closer and saw red stains on the ground. Jo was still, like the rubble around her. However, what was the most terrifying was the bullet hole in her head. Courtney sighed in frustration and shook her clenched fists by her side. "That's it! Noah, shut it down!"

The entire world crumbled to pieces in front of them as everything turned black before vanishing in a blast of white light.

* * *

Jo ripped her helmet off and tossed it aside as Courtney and Brick did the same, albeit with far less anger. "Way to go, _rookie_! Way to go!"

Noah turned around in his swivel chair and took a sip from his can of soda. In his lap was an old book with brown, torn covers and rotting pages. He was cloaked in a black jumpsuit with sky blue armor on his chest. "Ok, what happened this time?" he asked with a sigh, obviously uninterested in the issue at hand.

Courtney unwrapped herself from the maze of wires and belts on her chair while she spoke. "Brick killed Jo in the simulator again. As hilarious as it was, this is the _third _time he's done this."

Brick removed his wires and rubbed back of his neck. His eyes slowly traced around his eyelids and he gnawed at his lower lip, remaining quiet the entire time.

Noah took another sip and opened his book to a marked page. "Sounds like quite the adventure."

"No. Not at all," Jo growled, standing up and unzipping part of her suit. "We had it won until Brick-for-brains had to be hometown hero and 'save' us from that Gargantuan. And speaking of that, I thought I gave you _explicit instructions _to NOT enter one in the code. Care to explain, egghead?!"

"Nope." Noah rolled his eyes and turned his chair back to face the open window of space. Stars shimmered in the darkness. Faint traces of galaxies could be seen among the dots of light. Noah propped his booted foot on the control panel and leaned back in his comfortable seat. Jo quickly grabbed the top of it and flipped Noah back around, much to his annoyance.

"I said NO Gargantuans! We had it won until that son of a rust bucket showed up."

Courtney sighed. "Well, technically we beat that one too, but we would have passed the round had someone been a bit more _careful _with their rifle."

Brick wiped mucus from his nose and walked off through the dimly lit corridor.

Jo watched him leave and spun Noah back around. She walked past a peeved Courtney and into her room, slamming the door behind her. Within seconds, the sound of shattering glass was clearly heard.

Courtney approached Noah and sat down on the armrest of his chair. "Jo's just upset that Brick stole her thunder. It'll pass." She visibly cringed when something smashed into other side of the wall. "Eventually," she croaked.

Noah dropped his reading pose and looked at Courtney. "Well, he isn't the _best _soldier though. Remember how his militia didn't even want him around when we took him in last month? Yeah, he's not good for the team."

Courtney scoffed and pouted. "I say Jo's the problem; not Brick. She's always taking charge and calling the shots. The bad ones included. Honestly, she needs to get a grip on reality and realize that we are a _team _of mercenaries, not a _gang_. We don't need a kingpin."

"I don't have a problem with Jo," Noah told her in his typical deadpan tone. "She's crazy for sure, but in this galaxy, crazy's an asset."

"Yeah, but not when we're all going_ insane _because of it," she snarled through her grinding teeth. She stood up and leaned against the wall. "I'm just sick of her attitude. This team would be better with me as leader."

Noah raised an eyebrow and slowly turned his seat. "Really? You think you'd be better than Jo in the long run?"

"Of course I would," Courtney snorted flamboyantly. She strutted to the main hall of the ship and turned back to Noah. "_Anyone _would be better than her," she whispered before retreating into her own room.

Noah rolled his eyes. The bookworm wasn't one to trust people for the sake of it, but he had been with Jo and Courtney for six years. The group was slowly getting more disjointed as time passed. Jo and Courtney started out as allies, always fighting their battles as a unit of power and brains respectively. Noah had never once set foot on the field, for he preferred the aerial type of attacking, but the stories of 'Jourtney' as he called them were quite interesting. Throughout the years, the group of three was tight and respectable, but the past year had been a living hell for everyone. Jo had started to become paranoid after so many months in the deep dark blackness of the open cosmos and Courtney and Noah were forced to live with it. The bookworm and star technician, pilot, and child prodigy was fine with cat fights and often recorded them, but even he knew something was building up. Something between Jo and Courtney was off, and the adoption of Brick from a desert militia on the planet Iophus only made the tension escalate to a dangerous level.

Simulations were the main source of this growing tension. Brick was definitely unskilled with advanced weaponry and couldn't pilot the _Igneous_, the team's cruiser, so his only saving grace was his heart of gold. While Courtney felt for Brick, Jo was less forgiving. Her rigorous standards kept Brick from making a lasting _good _impression on the leader, but he was always seeking to do better. Everything he did, whether it was taking out giant robots, aliens, or opening a soda bottle, went over badly with Jo. He had proved her wrong multiple times on many fronts, but she never seemed ashamed nor forgiving towards the rookie.

Noah sighed out of boredom and stared into the endless darkness. He closed his book and laid back, his eyes closing and his breath escaping.

* * *

Jo stood naked in the ship's showers, letting the lukewarm water run down her curves as she scrubbed her scalp. Her face was still contorted in scorn. Grumbles escaped her throat as her mind tried to stay calm and civil about the earlier fallout. She was soon alerted by the rustling of a jumpsuit outside the chamber and shrugged it off. She scrubbed everywhere, even on her neck and feet, to make sure she was clean. Jo wasn't afraid to get dirty and didn't think much of hygiene, but showers helped her think. They helped her relax and contemplate her entire world. Brick, Noah, Courtney, they all filled her thoughts while she relaxed, but her anger was far more restrained under the warmth of the water.

Suddenly, the door of the shower opened and Jo yelped in surprise, but quickly turned to anger and blind rage when she saw Brick, in the nude, standing outside.

"Oh, I-I... Well, I thought you... Courtney?" Brick shuddered in embarrassment as Jo's face grew red.

"Get. OUT!" she screamed like a banished, pushing the door closed and bashing her fist against the padded wall of the shower chamber. She took quick, shallow breaths and stared at her feet with wide eyes until she heard the chamber next to hers open. She snarled like a mad dog, but once she allowed the water to soothe her, she turned white again and looked up, staring into space.

"I'm sorry, ma'am," Brick said from his own shower. "Ma'am?"

Jo had no reply. She continued to stare and stare and stare until it became necessary to respond. "Forget it, Brick. Just... forget it."

"Do you want to talk about today?"

Jo's mouth twisted just a little. "No."

"But I think we should, for the sake of this squad, resolve-"

"I don't. Care," Jo said through gritted teeth. "Just take your damn shower and get out already."

The two stood in silence until Brick left minutes later. Jo walked out of the chamber and dried herself with a towel. She looked into the mirror and pushed back her bangs to reveal a scar about three inches long right above her forehead. "So. Close." She walked away and put on her lounging suit, a tight black jumpsuit like Noah's, and left the room.

* * *

Courtney sat in her room alone. Her bed was nice and tidy. Each sheet was evenly spread and not a spot of dirt was to be seen. She looked up at the ceiling fan and traced it's path, trying to follow just one blade. The lights flickered on and off again as she snapped her fingers. She eventually gave up her little game and pushed a small button on the wall above her cot. A panel on the metal wall opened up to show the young woman a view of space in its most wonderful form. A giant, spiraling galaxy with blue and purple rays extended its reach to her from afar. The wings of the _Igneous _blocked her view of most of it but it was just gorgeous no matter how one looked at it. Courtney sat on bed in silence, admiring the view.

Her peace was interrupted by a knock at the door. She snapped her fingers twice in a row and the door slid open. Noah walked in with his arms crossed. "S'up," said casually.

"Just admiring the view," she sighed. "What else _to_ do? We haven't had a job in two weeks and our water and fuel are low. How are we going to keep this facade up?"

"Facade?" Noah asked, rubbing his chin suspiciously. "What _facade_?"

Courtney plopped down on her bed and let the yellow light of the ship illuminate her face. "The idea that this team has a chance. Face it, Noah. With President McLean in charge, there are ten times as many teams just like or better than us out there to compete with. Things were more dangerous under President Taballius, but at least we were kept busy. How many groups of smugglers would've tried to steal fusion cores from the interstellar storage base on Mutis? Not many, but now? Everyone! McLean has made the law a joke... and ironically we suffer even more without it."

"Didn't we fail that mission though?" Noah smirked. "Didn't someone _else _steal the cores before we could even sneak past the front gates?"

"Not the point," Courtney groaned. "All I'm saying is that our lives are going downhill faster than ever. Jo's insane. Work is scarce. We have to eat paste every day! Seriously! It's like our lives are... just so _scripted_. We wake up, we train, we fight, we eat, we fight again, and then we hit the sack. _Every _day!"

"I get you, honey," Noah smirked. "Paste is disgusting, but if we want jobs, we need to step up our game and get noticed. I've tried running by Jo the idea of a merging between our group and another band of mercenaries, but she rolled her eyes and ignored it. Now, I'm not saying that Jo is a bad leader. She's a great leader. However, I do agree that she's slipping. But trust me. If we get some credits flowing, then she'll lighten up. I've been in this exact situation before and so have you. Remember?"

Courtney turned over and rested her head on her hands. "Yeah. I remember, but Brick is a new variable. He's the ultimate button pusher in the galaxy, and even though I like the guy, he's just too much of a bad influence on the team."

Noah moved to stand over Courtney and their eyes met. "Look," he started, leaning in closer. "Just give it some time. I trust everyone here with my life, even you, and I think _you _should do the same. Just don't do anything stupid... Okay?"

Courtney sneered and turned on her back again. "Gee. Sorry I even opened the door."

"I like you, Courtney," Noah said with a straight face. "I respect you, and I'm not usually so open to people. Don't make me rethink that trust."

Noah walked outside and snapped his fingers twice, closing the door just as Courtney spoke up. "Wait! Why am I the problem? Noah? Noah?! Ugh..." She slapped her hands over her face and groaned to herself.

Jo opened her door just as Noah left Courtney's room and raised an eyebrow in anticipation. "So?"

Noah sighed. "She wants to work. Or at least that's what I heard in between the lines." He leaned in close to Jo and put his hand on her door frame. "Just... stay civil. Okay? We don't need any violent incidents _on the ship_. Keep it simulated if you want to bash her in... Not that you'll do that. _Right?" _

"As rain." Jo gave Noah an assuring smile. "Thanks for the having that heart to heart by the way. She'd never listen to me and take it seriously."

"Yeah, and the same goes for you, Jo." Noah backed off, but pointed his finger at her as he walked into the cockpit. "Just watch yourself. I won't be able to babysit this troop of buffoons forever."

Jo manually closed her door with a look of disapproval on her face. Noah returned to the cockpit to read his book. Courtney sat in her room, exhausted. Brick slaved away in the kitchen as he cooked a real dinner. Times were rough, but there wasn't anything a hot meal couldn't solve...

* * *

**(BVMWYL)**

* * *

**~A/N~ And there's chapter one. As you can provably tell, it's more character driven than action driven, but trust me when I say we'll see some action. Plus, what we got in that first scene was awesome, right? Right. Hopefully you all enjoyed the start of this project, and if you did, leave a review and follow so you don't miss the next chapter whenever it drops.**

**Until next time, Foreseer... out! :)**


	2. Opened Wounds

_Act I_

_Chapter 2: Opened Wounds_

* * *

Brick looked at the marvelous dishes he'd created. Steak, beans, pasta, salad, everything was perfect. After another pinch of seasoning on the steak, he brought the platter of plates and bowls out to the table where Noah, Jo, and Courtney were sitting in silence. He gently set it in the center of the round table and gave a bow. Courtney reached across the white, porcelain surface towards the food, but Brick released a cough of interruption. She rolled her eyes and returned to her proper posture.

Brick smiled and teetered back and forth on his toes. "Uh, I know things have been rough in the past month since my arrival, but I'd like to take this 'pre-meal' moment to thank all you wonderful people for allowing me to join your team. It's been an honor and I'd never think-"

"Just let us eat already," Jo groaned in disdain. "I've been eating paste for weeks and I don't intend on letting this spoil."

Brick raised a finger. "But I-"

"Not. A word." Jo grabbed her plate of food and dug in, gnawing on the steak with her strong jaws. Noah shrugged and followed suit. Courtney looked at a disappointed Brick and tapped on the open chair beside her. The rookie smiled and sat down.

Noah swallowed his first bite and had a heavenly moment in his mouth. "Y'know... Brick might suck on the battlefield... but he can cook a fine meal from scratch."

Courtney shuddered as she took a bite of angel hair pasta. "Agreed."

"Thanks, guys," Brick sighed shoving a scoop of everything into his wide maw. "I found some stuff in the freezer and thought it was worth cooking up. I'm, uh, glad you liked it."

Jo snorted, attracting the eyes of the others. "Yeah. Way to breeze through our _good _food, rookie. We were _saving _this stuff for a special celebration... but it's delicious."

Courtney couldn't help herself and ended up giggling at Jo's comment. "So... shooting Jo in the sim _wasn't _worth celebrating?"

"_Courtney_," Noah said, drawing out her name in a disciplinary voice.

"Sorry," she said, taking another bite. "What I meant was... Oh, just forget it."

Jo's eye twitched just a little. She grabbed her plate and stood up, her face covered in distaste. "Well, I guess I'm eating in _my _room, seeing as how _unwanted _I am."

Brick held up his arm in defiance. "No, wait! She didn't mean that!" He leaned to his left and whispered to Courtney in desperation. "_Tell her you didn't mean it!"_

Courtney sighed. "I didn't mean it," she said in a forced tone, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms.

"What a liar," Jo scoffed. "If you need me, I'll be enjoying my meal _in private_." She walked off down the hall and slammed the door behind her.

"Way to go," Noah clapped to Courtney while shaking his head. "You are on _fire _today."

Courtney groaned and slammed her head into the table top. Brick tapped her shoulder and she raised her head to look him in the eye. "What?"

"I think you should apologize," Brick said. "I made this meal for all of us to _together for,_ and I intend to keep it that way. Now, would you _please _do it for me?"

Courtney bit the nail of her thumb and looked to the men around her. Noah was raising an eyebrow and Brick was faintly smiling. She sighed and stood up, walked off, and left Noah and Brick alone.

As they waited, the boys decided to strike up a casual chat. Noah swallowed a bite of salad and turned to the rookie. "So... You like Courtney?"

Brick choked on his food and spit it out into his napkin. "W-why would you think that?"

Noah scoffed and leaned back in his seat, his arm hanging casually over the rest. "I've seen how you blush when she saves you from certain doom. Remember your first mission? Well, I saw everything from the _Igneous_ and I definitely saw you blush when she helped you with your loading mechanism. Don't try to hide it, dude."

"So what if I do?" Brick eyed Noah with caution, tugging at his pant leg. "She's great."

"Only if _great _is a synonym for _psycho_. I've been with her and Jo for six years. Courtney is the more intelligent and sensible of the two, but she's lost her head a few times. Why, uh, I remember when we were trying to hunt down a bandit on Yardou. She was just about to take out the dude when Jo pushed her to the ground and nabbed him instead. And man was Courtney pissed. She locked herself in her chamber and just stewed in her own juices... Okay, that sounded wrong, but you get my point. She's stuck up, but we're friend-ish towards each other. We understand one another and can have meaningful conversations, but I always keep in my mind that she's unstable. Jo might get angry and violent, but she can let it go with time. Courtney? She held on to everything Jo put her through. You might think she's all nice and perfect, but trust me... Tis not a path one should walk. We've all got dark sides, and you should know that by now."

Brick dropped his fork on his plate and wiped his mouth. "Uh, okay? I'll... think about that."

"Good," Noah rolled his eyes, pulling out his old book and flipping through the pages. "She's a good, well-meaning person at her best, but she's a hypocritical, manipulative bitch at her worst. Any who, I have a chapter of _Robinson Crusoe _to read." Noah pushed in his chair and yawned. "If you need me, I'll be in my chamber."

Brick watched Noah leave the kitchen room with sad eyes. Everyone had left and he was all alone at the table. Courtney still had food on her plate, Noah had eaten all but a spoonful, and Jo's was currently in her room. He picked up his fork and twisted it around in his hands. The sound of footsteps echoed down the hall and Courtney walked back to the table and took her seat.

"Sorry," Brick sighed, avoiding eye contact.

Courtney cut her steak and held it on her fork. "It's not your fault. Jo always overreacts to everything around here... Hey, where's Noah?"

"He went back to his room. Said he was reading his book."

"Typical," she scoffed. "That wimp's always got his nose in those pages. He's smart though. Like, _genius_ smart."

Brick finished his meal and picked up Noah's plate. He walked past Courtney and set both dishes in the sink. "Just, uh, put your plate over here when you finish. I'll wash them later."

"Yeah, great." Courtney stared at her food as Brick slowly left the kitchen. She finished her meal and put the plate in the sink before leaving for her quarters.

* * *

Jo was lifting weights in the ship's gym. The leader was wearing a tank top and sweatpants that revealed her bulging muscles as she benched two hundred pounds. Her arms quivered ever so slightly and she dropped the bar on the rack above her head. She sat up and wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Done," she said before drinking a gulp of water from her thermos. Jo looked at her flexed muscles and smiled, but couldn't forget what Brick had done. She looked at her hand and gripped the air tight, her teeth bared and her nostrils flared. Without missing a beat, she grabbed the nearest object, her bottle of water, and tossed it across the room. It cracked open against the wall and water spilled out on the floor. Jo huffed and puffed as she tried to calm herself and the red in her face soon faded into rosy cheeks and a look of exhaustion. The water trickled down the wall in single drops and she watched each one travel to the floor. She released and angry sigh and stood upright to stretch, but something happened that threw her to the cold, hard floor.

The _Igneous_ rattled and shook violently and Jo rolled across the ground, smashing her face into the stack of nearby weights. She grabbed her bleeding nose and stood up, trying to hold her balance. The ship soon calmed down and Jo ran to the cockpit, leaving a trail of red on the floor as she went.

When she arrived in the cockpit, Noah was at the wheel with his hands clenched around the controls. Brick and Courtney watched out the front windows and Noah steered the ship back on course.

"What happened?!" Jo gasped for breath.

"Something flew by us at a dangerously high velocity!" Noah panicked. "I think I got us stabilized though..."

Courtney tapped Noah on the shoulder. "Can you get it on radar?!"

The pilot pushed a few buttons and flipped a switch, bringing up a holographic map of the nearby reaches of space. In the center was the white dot representing the _Igneous_. Moving to the top-left of the scanner was a small red dot. Noah tapped another switch and the radar zoomed in on the shape. It was a ship, but a small one moving _very fast_.

"Okay? What's a merchant ship doing this far out in space?" Jo asked in a nasally voice, holding her dripping nose.

Noah narrowed his eyes and his lips curved in contemplation. "More importantly... Why is it going past the outer rim? There's nothing out there but rocks and imminent death!"

"Maybe they're off course?" asked a puzzled Brick.

"Possibly," Courtney said. She looked at an injured Jo and cringed.

"Don't. Talk about it." Jo looked away from Courtney and back into space.

"Well... they're gone now, whoever they are," Noah sighed, leaning back in his chair and resting his hands behind his head. "That was close though. Just a few more meters and we would've been hit."

"Yeah..." Courtney said in awe. "That _was _close. That's never happened before, has it?"

"Nope," Noah yawned. "We got lucky. _Really _lucky."

The group stared into space together until Jo broke the silence. "Well, I have a wound to treat. See you in thirty."

Before she could walk away, the ship echoed with a ringing sound like that of a phone. Noah pressed the glowing button on the control panel with a curious touch and another holographic screen appeared. On it was a man of about thirty with a bright red mohawk and a face covered in tattoos and piercings off all shapes and sizes. He wore a black jacket ans cut up jeans.

"Morning, to ya,' _old friends..." _came the punk with a wicked chuckle.

Jo froze in place and slowly turned around. "No! It can't be!"

"Hey, _dollface,_" he winked to Courtney. "And fresh blood? Nice," he grinned to Brick.

"_Duncan?!"_ Noah gasped in utter shock. "How did you get on our frequency?!"

Duncan crossed his arms and laughed. "You kidding? I still know your little ship front and back. Don't think I've forgotten about our days back then. Y'know, when things were fun!"

Jo pushed Noah out of the way and shoved her finger threw the hologram. "We don't need you here, _Metal-mouth_! Now forget this happened and leave us be!"

Duncan smiled again, showing his metal fangs like some sort of vampiric monster. "As if. Plus, I think we need to talk."

"There's nothing to talk about anymore!" Courtney hissed, her eyes meeting Duncan's with an intense glare. "We're done with you and your little games."

"Games?" Duncan raised his brow in amusement. "I don't play games anymore. But I do make a _shitload _of credits without your little ragtag troop of pansies."

"Sir, we are _not _pansies!" Brick blurted out in his defense. "We are a tough as nails group with determination and focus."

Duncan laughed and gave Jo an evil look. "That true? Has this group stepped up its game in six years?"

"Enough to replace you," Jo growled. "And just what makes you think you can just contact us like this? We ditched your butt on Ebreon six years ago!"

"And on Ebreon I have stayed," he scoffed. "This place isn't too bad once you get used to the pollution and ferals running around. Oh, and the lack of daylight's shitty too, but hey, that's what night vision is for, huh?"

"But _why _are you calling us?!" Jo begged viciously, slamming her fists on the monitor. "If it's about joining us again, then you can go shove it up your tight-_!_"

"Calm your flat tits, babe. That's the last thing I need right now. I just need you guys to help me deal with one of the local boys. Easy peasy, right?"

"No." Noah crossed his arms in disgust.

Duncan snorted arrogantly and rolled his eyes. "Hey, your loss. Guess I'm, uh, gonna have to find someone else to do the job."

"Good. Now leave!" Courtney snarled.

Duncan let out a forced gasp and grabbed at his cheeks. "Oh, that's too bad. I bet you all would've loved to have made an easy 7,000 credits. But because of 'past incidents' that isn't gonna happen. Sad, but what's a man to do? Laters."

Just as the transmission was cutting out, Jo leapt forward in a blind panic. "No! Wait!"

Duncan faded back into view. "Yeah?"

"D-Did you say... _seven thousand_?" she asked.

"Yep."

"And... you'd pay us that for catching some random thug?"

"Yep."

Jo paused as Duncan smiled in delight. "Uh, let me talk it over with my team," she said, shutting off the monitor and huddling the group together. "Ok. I didn't want to do this, but seven thousand credits is too much of a payday to pass up. I say we do the job and get out before things go south. Any problems with that?"

"Uh, yeah," Courtney sighed in disdain. "He's not to be trusted... At _all_. Remember what he did before? No way am I letting him near me again."

Brick raised his hand. "What did he do?"

"Not important," Noah replied. "I know seven thousand will go a _long _way, but I don't trust the guy. What if it's all an elaborate trap and we're just flies caught in his web of lies? Sorry, but I'm out."

"Me too," Courtney hissed spitefully. "Just drop his call and ignore everything that's happened in the past five minutes. Trust me."

Jo turned to Brick the rookie. "What about you, newbie?"

"Hey, I'm in this for the money. If he says he's truthful, I'll believe him."

"Ugh. So naive," Noah groaned. "He's obviously toying with us. Rule number one of the business: _know_ _your_ _client_."

"We don't know that!" Brick whispered boldly. "He could be telling the honest truth and we could just walk by a chance of being rich."

"But who the _hell _has _seven thousand credits _to give," Noah argued. "You could buy a used ship for that much and _still_ have enough left to have lunch _and _dinner that day. This just seems too fishy to be legit."

Jo broke the huddle and glared at Noah and Courtney. "So, it's two to two... Great," she mumbled sarcastically. "But since I'm leader of this team, what I say goes. We're doing this mission!"

Noah and Courtney gasped angrily. "No!"

Jo calmly stepped forward and was about to turn on the monitor. "Look. If anything goes south fast, we'll be ready. I know Duncan and I know his game. Trust me when I say that I've got this handled." She turned on the screen and Duncan was smiling.

"Made up your mind?"

"We're in. Just give us your coordinates and we'll be there as soon as possible."

Duncan pressed something off-screen. "Done. Pleasure doin' business with you." He saluted and signed off, leaving the screen a mess of static.

Noah sighed and spun his chair around and around. "Well... This should be interesting to say the least. We're probably gonna die, but at least we went out like greedy pigs."

"I can't believe you," Courtney hissed in Jo's face. "We voted and it was a draw. You can't just make up the rules as we go."

Jo leaned in, putting her face inches from Courtney's. "Who says?"

"The team."

The girls stood in an intense battle of staring. Neither was backing down.

"Fine," Courtney snorted. "But when he holds you down and makes you suffer... I'll be on this ship a hundred stars away from it." She walked into the main hall and locked herself in her chamber.

"So much anger," Noah deadpanned. He then looked to Brick. "See what I mean?"

Brick nodded and sat down on the metal floor, leaning against a support pole and closing his eyes.

Jo rolled her own grey eyes and pushed Noah into the controls. "Set a course for Ebreon and make it fast."

The scrawny pilot pushed a few buttons and typed a command into the main terminal. He took a deep breath and pulled a small lever. The ship rattled and began to speed up until the stars were streams of light, ribbons of fire. They shined across the faces of the crew. Noah was scowling and Brick was almost crying. However, Jo was smiling a wicked smile. "Here we come, big boy," she whispered to herself, watching the stars shoot by.

* * *

Councilwoman Mildred O'Halloran, draped in a bright purple dress, scanned the golden skyline from her two hundredth story window as she tapped her foot in anticipation. The tops of massive buildings extended past the brown clouds and radiated with elegance and precious metals. Three yellow suns of various sizes cast their glow on the planet, but the clouds and thick pollutants prevented them from warming the lower reaches of the capitol city. Mildred turned away and sat at her abstractly built desk, located in the center of her gorgeous office. The walls were cloaked in drapes and tapestries. The blue carpet was spotless and freshly vacuumed. A stack of papers sat on the desk. Mildred picked up the first packet and read the top line, but quickly set it back on the pile.

The door squeaked open and a man of thirty years walked in, accompanied by a teenage boy with dirty blonde hair as well as a cleft chin to match his elder. The man himself had medium length black hair and stubble on his cheeks and chin. He was wearing a sky blue tuxedo and a black rose on his chest. A slight bulge could be seen under his jacket.

"President McLean..." Mildred smiled politely. "How nice to see you."

"And to you as well, _Blaineley,_" McLean shook her hand. "I understand that you have upheld your part of the deal?"

"Oh, yes," Mildred waved her hand over her cheek. "Did you receive the payment I sent you?"

Chris nodded and smiled, looking almost doll-like. "The 1.7 million credits? Got it last week."

"Good," she sighed, rolling her eyes. "I was worried it may have been lost. You know how transport is these days. Bandits _everywhere! _I sent two frigates on that mission to guard the stuff and wasn't sure how it went. They never even sent word of their arrival. Can you believe that?"

"Yeah, I've been burned by transports too. No biggie though. All that matters is that my pockets are stuffed with your dues." McLean turned to his blonde assistant. "Sorry, Topher. You'll need to wait outside. We have... _personal _business to discuss."

Topher nodded and left the office, leaving only the buzz of the vents to accompany the two leaders.

Chris cleared his throat. "Now... about these shipments. They will arrive by tomorrow. I've sent a team of escorts to bring them to your landing deck at 0800 tomorrow. Now, you'll need to be there for reception, signing, and the usual, so don't be late. I'll be leaving Ebreon in exactly three hours, so don't expect any more idle chat about this once we part ways. The less the people know... the better off we are."

"Agreed," Mildred winked. "I know how hard your last two months as president of the Milky Way has been, and anything that will make your life easier, I'll do it."

"I'll remember that," McLean winked back. He shook her hand again and walked to the doors which Topher opened for him. Just as Chris left the office, he turned back and nodded. "Enjoy the spoils."

The door closed and Blaineley was left alone. She pushed the stack of bills to the side and opened her desk drawer. After a few seconds of fiddling through the mess inside, she pulled out a small device that resembled a watch. She pressed a button on the side of the hand-sized mechanism and a holographic screen popped out of its core. On the blue sheet was her face, wrinkles and all. "Attention, all Ebreonites, this is your president speaking. _Tomorrow_ and tomorrow _only_, curfew will remain in effect until _0900_ _hours_ to accommodate for a personal and very _important_ diplomatic event. This is my only announcement." She flipped off the device and stored it in her desk before shuffling through more paperwork and pulling out a pen, a smirk on her face. "Petition to introduce anti-pollutant regulation? Nope." She slid the bill through a slot in the top of her desk. "Law to prevent all illegal sales of drugs and/or weaponry among the lower bodies? Meh." The bill was put into its own pile. "A new law to introduce green gardens to the slums? Waste of credits." Into the slot it went. "Authorization to build... Interesting..." She slid the paper into her drawer and pulled out the next packet.

* * *

**(GVS)**

* * *

**~A/N~ Hooray for quick updates! To answer questions from many of you: Yes, there will be many TD characters in the story (I think it's pretty obvious by now) and I hope to get them all involved somehow. Yes, this will build up from small to large scale as the story progresses. No, Brickney isn't a main focus. It's only there to add depth to the main group's chemistry and may or may not lead to something big. And yes, Jo still wears her fabulous sweatpants. :D**


	3. The Lightless

_Act I_

_Chapter 3: The Lightless_

* * *

Jo continued to watch the bursts of light streak by the ship in silence. Noah propped his feet on the dashboard and stared into the blazing light show. Brick remained curled up against the wall. Courtney stayed silent in her room.

Jo tapped Noah on the shoulder. "How long, bookworm?"

"About twenty minutes. I'm just glad we had enough fuel to go this fast, or it would've taken about three days to get to Ebreon. Not that I'd _want _to go there."

Jo scoffed, arms crossed. "Quit the worrying. I said I'll handle this, and I will."

Noah turned around and waved his hand in circles beside his head. "It's not the Duncan I'm worried about. It's the danger. He's just a person, but the city is toxic for crying out loud." He narrowed his eyes and turned back to face the stars. "People die just by being there, Jo. Don't think we can just waltz in without some kind of air filtration or oxygen mask."

"Relax, string bean," Jo said with a chuckle. "We have masks in the storage... I think. It's been a few months since I got them, okay. I'll try to find them, but until then, we need to suit up for what could be our biggest payday ever. It's seven-thousand credits that we can't afford to lose."

"And what if it _is _ours to lose? A trap set to catch greedy bitches like you?"

"I trust Duncan," Brick said quietly from his corner. "He seems a bit... off, but everyone is in this galaxy. I say we all give him the benefit of the doubt."

Noah and Jo shared a dull glance which quickly turned into disdain for each other. Their eyes locked and neither was giving in. "We'll see..." Jo whispered calmly.

* * *

Chris stepped onto the large, flat runway leading into his presidential cruiser with Topher and a dozen body guards by his side. He kept his wrinkling hands crossed behind his back as he strutted past the saluting guards at the ship's entrance. Topher followed suit, but stumbled forward when the runway began to retract into the ship.

McLean walked down the main hall of the ship and stopped to admire the decor. Purple carpet covered the floor. White light shined upon the halls at regular intervals of ten feet, giving the path no place for a shadow to hide. Chris walked into his office and Topher followed. He sat in his throne-like chair and pulled himself up to his desk.

"Sir?" Topher asked.

"Yes, Topher?" Chris grumbled in annoyance as he unbuttoned his jacket.

"Yeah, I was just wondering if... I... could, uh..."

"On with it, Topher. I have work to do. _Important _work."

Topher tugged at his turtleneck and looked at the carpet. "Uh, never mind... You want me to go?"

"Yeah. Please do," the politician sighed. Topher stumbled out the door and Chris finished unbuttoning his tuxedo. Under his jacket was a small bulge of belly. The politician mumbled curses to himself and removed the clothing completely, leaving him in a white shirt and blue pants. He flipped a switch and a holo-screen flashed up in front of him. He tapped a few virtual keys and began to type away, the letters forming on the screen one by one until the message was ended and sent. Chris leaned back in his seat and stared at the lights on the ceiling as the ship took off into space.

* * *

Noah pulled down on a lever as the ship slowed to a cruising speed. The stars took their regular shape and the crew braced themselves as the _Igneous _rattled. The pilot pulled back on the steering wheel and sighed in relief.

Jo clapped loudly. "Alright, people! Time to get moving! Noah, steer us into port! Brick, don't touch anything! Courtney? Courtney?"

No one answered.

"Of course..." Jo groaned. "Brick, go fetch the whiny brat. Now!"

"Aye, sir!" Brick saluted and marched down the corridors as Noah was touched again by Jo.

"So, where's Duncan?" Jo asked, peering over his shoulder and the nerd steered towards the dust colored planet. "He said he had a signal sent out."

"Apparently he's about thirty miles outside the capital walls... in the slums."

"Great," Jo sneered. "Just _perfection_."

* * *

Brick tapped Courtney's door and it opened. Inside, the young woman was laying on her bed, shaking in both anger and despair. "What?" she croaked, looking up at Brick was red eyes.

"We're here... Wanna get ready?" Brick walked inside and marched to her bedside. "We need you for the job."

"No. You don't. Jo can handle herself and get killed _herself_," she hissed bitterly. "Duncan is never seeing me again. And I'm never seeing him either."

"What did he do that made you so angry? If you, uh, don't mind me asking, of course."

Courtney stood up and looked Brick in the eye, her lips quivering. "That's classified."

"But I think it would benefit the team as a whole if-"

"No!" she exclaimed, her face red with scorn. She inhaled a shallow breath and flared her nostrils. "They know what he did to me and I don't like that. I'm not talking to you about it either, so can it and stop asking!"

Jo and Noah peeked around the door frame and Courtney turned her back to the trio.

"Uh, we dock in five minutes, honey," Noah rolled his eyes. "Either you get suited up and prepped, or you stay here on this tin can and _don't _get paid when we finish this job."

"And you don't even _have _to see Duncan," Jo sighed. "You can just stick your pretentious little ass outside when we talk with him."

"But... it's _him_." Courtney shook her head in disgust.

"Yeah. That's why we're bringing our weapons," Noah smirked. "If we have to kill him, we kill him. And hey, you could do the honors _if _it comes to that."

Courtney looked at Noah's mouth and down to her twitching foot. "Fine," she sniffled, wiping a tear from her cheek and putting on a fake smile.

The trio walked out. Brick was the last to leave and waved upon his exit. She didn't wave back.

* * *

The _Igneous _gently emerged from the cloud of brown smog and into a blast of lights and metal. Dozens of massive, mile-long docks lined the edge of the cliff. Tall poles, each with a rotating beacon atop it's length, rested at regular intervals along each dock. Below the docks was a cloud of pollution that refused the entry of light. Behind them were rows of buildings some miles high, others mere shacks. Hundreds of sick, cloaked Ebreonites wandered the paved streets as buggies slowly hummed by. The _Igneous _settled onto the platform and came to a complete stop. The engines shut down and everything went quiet aside from the commotion of the city.

Inside the cruiser, Jo was handing out supplies. To Noah and Courtney went small handguns to fit in their belts. To Brick went a scanner-like device. He tried to question her decision, but she quickly hushed him. She handed out oxygen masks to everyone and lined the group up in front of her.

"Men... and Courtney..." Jo started, posing like a leader with her back straight. "Today's operation is a big one. You've been equipped with necessary weaponry and equipment. Wouldn't wanna alert the public, right? Right. Now, only fire if fired _at_. No exceptions. Instead of going through downtown, we will be traveling through the old smuggling catacombs that rest under the city in order to avoid attracting, ahem, _unwanted attention_. It will be very dark-"

"Dark?!" Brick blurted out before covering his mouth.

"What part of _catacombs _don't you understand, _headshot?" _Jo hissed. "Of course they'll be dark. Now shut up and let me finish... Ahem. It will be _very dark _and dangerous, but the levels of toxicity are lower than in the main city. The oxygen masks I handed you have exactly one hour of clean, fresh air. Run out, and you get lung cancer. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Brick saluted.

"Pfft. Whatever," Noah shrugged.

"Yeah," Courtney scowled. "I'm ready."

"Alright. Now let's move out!" Jo opened the ship's hatch and the crew stepped out onto the metallic platform. Brick immediately plugged his nose in disgust.

"Ugh! That smell!"

"That's Ebreon for you," Jo walked by and looked out to the city. "Nastiest place this side of Earth, but at least people can live _here_."

"Still stinks though," Noah gagged. "Worse than a sulfur mine on Iophus. Right, Brick?"

Brick nodded as he grabbed his lower face, his eyes watering. "Yeah," he mumbled.

"Alright... masks on," Jo said, strapping the glass helmet around her mouth and nose. Immediately, the air was clean and freshly scented. The others strapped theirs on and relaxed.

"Much better," Courtney moaned in bliss. "Where to?"

Jo pointed to the city. "About a mile to the west is the nearest entrance, but no guarantee that we'll be able to get in. I haven't been here in five years, so it might be blocked off."

"And... then what?" Brick asked, fiddling with his scanner.

"Then we go through downtown then..." Jo sighed. "But only if it comes to that though. There are some pretty tripped out assholes in that place and I really don't want to deal with them today."

"Amen," Noah rolled his eyes in deadpan. "Now can we _please_ get this over with."

"Bookworm is right," Jo said with enthusiasm. "Let's move!"

The team clanked their way across the docking platform as people watched them pass with fear, curiosity, or raised eyebrows. The neediest of the wanderers attempted to grab at their black and blue armor and were swatted away like insects. Courtney was about to grip her handgun, but Brick held her back with a smile on his face. She snapped her hand back and turned her nose up in disdain. Noah peered back towards the ship to see a dark shadow move out of the corner of his eye, but dismissed it.

This continued for a good ten minutes. Everyone was growing angry and flustered. Thankfully, the team reached the checkpoint in time. Jo silently slipped into dark, scummy alleyway and motioned for the others to follow her. Noah groaned and slid through the grimy opening, followed by Courtney and a trembling Brick. After a few meters, the path opened up to a wider stretch. No one, not even the homeless, were to be seen.

Jo pointed to a patch of grey brick wall with a redish brown brick in the center. "There. The mark of an Ebreonite smuggler. Just like old times."

Courtney tapped the wall and scratched her chin, accidentally covering it in slime. "Uh, how do we get in? Is there, like, a swit-"

Jo rammed her combat boot into the wall at full force, scaring the living daylights out of Courtney and causing her to yelp. The leader smashed it again and again until the entire section crumbled to rubble. "There."

"Great job," a rattled Courtney shuddered. She turned on her light and shined it into the tunnel. Cobwebs, slime, dust, and feces lined the brick walls. The corridors were about seven feet tall at their highest and five at their shortest. Water dripped to the ground in pools. "Ick."

"You've got to be kidding me," Noah gagged. "I mean, I can handle blood, guts, severed limbs, and the like, but this looks a place for picking up rabies. Jo, you've been there before. It's safe, right?"

"And it's dark too!" Brick whimpered to himself. "What if our lights go out? What if we run out of air?! What if we-"

Courtney slapped Brick across the face, leaving a red mark on his cheek. "Get a hold, soldier! You're going crazy."

"I thought you didn't want to go," Brick whined, rubbing his sore face. "Because of-"

"I know," she sighed angrily. "But the only way to get over it is to find closure." She reached at her gun and ran her gloved fingers over its metallic body. "I have to do this. I won't back out again."

Jo rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that's great, princess. Now remember: we only shoot-"

"When shot at. I know," Courtney stomped past Jo and Noah, pushing her way into the opening. "Now let's get this over with already."

Jo shrugged and smirked to Noah. "Looks like she finally came to her senses."

"Meh," Noah squeaked.

They grabbed a trembling Brick and pulled him into the catacombs. The rookie was shaking with tears running down his face, which both Jo and Noah ignored. The first few steps were easy until the tunnel became slippery. Noah slipped and crashed into the wall where he clung to a rock. Courtney slowly crawled through the passage with her light shining ahead. Jo illuminated the wall to her left, cringing at the sight of dried mucus and blood. Brick held his light close to his chest in fear, peering at his feet and to his cohorts.

"I hate it already," Noah grumbled.

"Deal with it," Jo groaned, annoyed. "I've been through here dozens of times and I'm just fine."

"Easy for you to say," Brick shuddered, peeking over his shoulder. "At least you don't have a chronic fear of the dark of what lives in the shadows."

"You're just paranoid," Courtney rolled her eyes. "Nothing could live down here and we have lights. Nothing to worry about at all."

Brick moved towards the brunette and attempted to rub against her for comfort and got an elbow to the gut. He stepped back and felt a squish on his right boot. The rookie lifted his foot and shined downward to see a pile of grey and pink sprawled across the floor. He gagged and teared up, stumbling into the wall behind him. "G-g-guys!"

The team turned around and shined their lights upon the mess. Noah and Courtney cringed, but Jo stepped forward and shuffled her foot through the pile. Upon closer inspection, she found what appeared to be fur and bones in the mass.

"Cat," she sighed. "Fresh too."

Noah's eyes widened. "Hold the phone. Y'mean... something is _alive _down here?" He turned to Courtney. "Uh..."

"Pfft," Jo scoffed boldly, propping her hands on her hips. "There's no way anything could live down here, but I wouldn't put it past a wise bum to use these tunnels for travel or shelter. And if we run into anything, we have our guns."

Brick sighed and stepped away from the brick wall. "Yeah... you're right." He turned around and screamed into his hands. On the wall behind him was a set of five bloody scratches on the stone. Bits of flesh hung from the jagged holes in the bricks. A foul odor accompanied the mess of gore. "What the-"

"Oh shit..." Courtney coughed, grabbing at her gun. "That's no bum."

Jo ran her hand over the cuts and rubbed the blood into her fingers. "Yeah. This is new. We should keep going."

"With this _thing _running around down here?" Brick gasped, his face pale. "I don't think-"

Jo pushed Brick to the wall. "Well, I think we're gonna be fine, so get a grip and toughen up, rookie. I'm not here to babysit you."

As Jo walked by, Noah rolled his eyes and whispered to himself. "Yeah. That's _my _job."

Jo whipped around. "What's that?"

"Nothing," Noah yawned.

The leader narrowed her eyes and turned around as the other three followed her through the moist cavern. Something stirred in the distance, evidenced by the sound of shuffling rocks. Brick swiftly raised his light on instinct and took shallow, rapid breaths as sweat trickled down his cheek and onto his armor. Suddenly, a beeping erupted from his belt and he reached for his scanner. The others huddled around the rookie and looked at the device. On the small screen were four blue dots. Three were obviously Noah, Jo, and Courtney, but the fourth was near the top of the screen and quite far from the foursome.

Noah scratched his scalp and tugged at his lip with his teeth. "Uh... What is that?"

Jo swiped the scanner from Brick and tapped a few buttons. "Well, it's alive. We know that much."

"I thought you said these tunnels were deserted!" Courtney whispered harshly.

"It's probably a cat," Jo whispered back. "Just get your gun ready."

Brick took the scanner back while Jo, Noah, and Courtney slowly drew their weapons. The group walked forward, following the illuminated trail made by Brick's light. Something moved in the dust cloud ahead. The sound of claws on rock rattled through the catacombs and everyone stopped breathing. Brick turned around and shined his light, making sure nothing was following them. Jo cocked her pistol and stepped forward, an intense glare flooding over her face. Courtney trembled in her boots with wide eyes, but she kept her weapon at shoulder level. Noah was largely unaffected by the eerieness of the tunnels and made little effort to raise his gun.

Without any warning, rocks shuffled and gunfire went off. Courtney fell to the ground with something on top of her. A humanoid figure grabbed her head and snapped its jaws at her face as she tried to push it off. It reeked of death and fecal matter, causing Courtney to violent gag.

Brick grabbed the creature by the shoulders and yanked it off. His light caught the colors of green as the humanoid scratched at his face. Gunfire rang once and the thing went limp. No pushed the smoking gun into the creature and pushed it off of her comrade. It's face was malformed and nearly hairless. Small strands of brown, curly hair hung from its scalp. The thing wore worn and torn jeans and a green shawl, both covered in mud and feces.

"What the hell is that thing?" Noah gagged in disgust, his face contorting.

"It's a human," Courtney whimpered. "What happened to it?"

Brick stood up and backed against the wall as tears streamed down his face. "It... it... it..."

Sounds of footsteps and snarling echoed through the caves and the group knew what to do. They all dashed off with Jo in the lead, just as the dead body was trampled by a slew of clawed feet.

* * *

Chris yawned as he filed through more paperwork. The life of the president was much more insipid than he had expected. All it involved was paperwork, meetings, and money. The last one was his favorite, next to the women of course, but McLean looked upon his actual duties with disdain. Taking power was something he'd always wanted, no matter how devious his means of claiming it were to be. But, now that it was his, he felt empty. Two years of slaving under President Taballius in the grand council of leaders was his nightmare realized, and when the elder ruler fell to what was said to be an accidental explosion in deep space, Chris hastily took charge and won the nomination from his supporters and beneficiaries, becoming the new ruler of the Milky Way and doing away with what didn't appeal to his ego.

The holo-screen flashed up again and Chris dropped his pen. He was face to face with a young man with gorgeous dark hair and caramel skin. "Greetings, Mr. _President._"

"_Hey_, Alejandro," Chris smiled, casually leaning forward in his chair. "I sent you that e-mail so I _wouldn't _have to see your face."

"It's quite a face, no? You're just jealous of my stunning looks. It must blow to have turned from this..." He touched his face. "To _that_." He poked a finger at Chris, who scowled and reclined in his seat.

"Yeah, enough of the ego-stroking, _Al_. We needed to talk, right?"

"Yes, we did. And I shall start by informing you that our supplies for my colony in the outer rim have yet to arrive. Did you not promise that I would receive them by last week?"

Chris rolled his eyes. "Pfft. Al, I sent them on time, but you know how busy the shipping is with bandits at every asteroid field. Sometimes, they just run behind schedule and can't risk attack, so they take a longer route."

"They'd be here if you'd passed the bill to allow for boosters on the supply ships. But you just had to have your credits, didn't you?"

"Alejandro, I know you're angry and your people are starving, but I have seven council planets to look after. Ebreon is going to shit and your dear Bolara is pretty well off if what I've seen in true."

"But this isn't about Bolara! It's about my _colony_! We sent two hundred people there on your charter and it's been a failure! The soil is too acidic, the dust storms are terrible, and the weather is unforgiving. Now, you can either sent us the supplies immediately, or I can cancel the mission and get my money back _in full_." Alejandro stopped to glare menacingly at the president, attempting to strike fear into his heart.

"Fine. Al, I'll sent another round of ships to Bolara this time. That way, _you _can send them to your colony personally. And if things go wrong... it's your hands that will be bloody."

Al nodded. "Thank you. I know how hard it is to be a leader, and I'm in no way attacking you when I say this, but you need to wise up and see what the galaxy has become."

Chris started to reply, but Al shut off the connection and left Chris alone to ponder his work. He gripped the pen in his hand until it snapped in two, spilling ink all over the page and staining the desktop black.

* * *

Jo and Courtney fired into the darkness. Shots flashed, illuminating the pack of attackers momentarily. They fired and fired, blood spilling on the rocky floor. Snarling humans with dirt caked faces lunged forward and they retreated with Noah and Brick, turning to fire every few feet.

Noah was pushed aside by Jo. "Out of my way! I know how to get out!"

Noah turned and fired just as another feral tried to jump him. His shot missed and he was thrown to the ground. Brick kicked the beast off and pulled Noah to his feet.

Courtney slipped up and tripped on a stone, allowing the monsters to grab at her feet with their hands. She raised her weapon and fired point blank. Blood dropped on her cheeks with each shot. She kicked herself away and quickly got to her feet, dropping her gun in the process. Before she could grab it, a feral leapt upon her and wrestled her to the wall. A shot went off and the feral fell. Brick handed Courtney her weapon and they ran off together without saying a word.

Jo hit a dead end and Noah screamed in a panic. "You've got to be kidding?! I thought you knew this place!"

"I do," Jo smirked. She picked up a piece of pipe and smashed it into the ceiling. Metal rang with vibrations above and she motioned to Courtney. "Get on my shoulders!"

The snarls grew closer and Courtney wasted no time in climbing atop her commanding officer, no matter how much she hated her. She stuck her foot on her bent knee and pulled herself up. Jo told her to push up on the metal plate and it took all of her strength to lift it. The ferals rounded the corner just as a flash of daylight squeaked through the ceiling. Noah raised his gun and Brick grabbed the pipe from the ground, holding it like a bat. Courtney shoved upward and the plate was thrown to the side, shining light through the catacombs and causing the feral humans to scream and cover their eyes. The retreated down the halls and the tunnel went quiet.

"Let's go." Jo pushed Courtney out of the cave and pulled herself up after. Noah and Brick were lifted up and the caves were sealed off yet again. Something stirred in the black, scraping its claws on the walls.

* * *

**(NIR)**

* * *

**~A/N~ There's the action I promised! Hopefully everyone enjoyed. ;)**

**Don't forget to review, fav, and follow, and I'll see you next time, whenever that may be. Foreseer, out!**


	4. The Tomb

**~A/N~ Halfway through Act I! This has been going strong so far and you guys and gals have been really great readers. Enjoy!**

* * *

_Act I_

_Chapter 4: The Tomb_

* * *

Jo pushed herself out of the hole and came into blinding light. She quickly lifted Brick up as Courtney pulled on Noah. They shoved the metal plate back over the opening and collapsed, their hearts pumping furiously.

"I'm not going back in there!" Noah groaned. "You won't make me!"

"And I won't," Jo panted, dropping her pistol beside her. "I guess... something lived down after all."

Courtney glared at Jo as she laid on her side. "But what were those... _things_? Huh?"

"People," a shocked Brick whispered.

"People? Those were _not _people!" Noah grabbed his shirt and checked out the blood splatter.

"Feral humans," Jo sighed. "I guess... they lived down there for so long..."

"Yeah, that's messed up." Courtney turned over on her belly. "I'm just going to lay down and forget the last ten minutes."

Noah looked around to find the group inside a torn down building, now rubble. Clouds of dust filled the surrounding air. Above them was nothing but tan clouds and black towers. He looked back to his legs. "I guess we're murderers now..."

"Just..." Brick released a solemn sigh. "Try not to think about it. We need to keep our focus on the mission at hand."

"Agreed," Jo patted the rookie on the leg and stood up, stretching her arms across her chest. "Now let's get going. We only have a good half hour of oxygen left in the tanks. Probably should've brought more, but that was _it_."

Noah wobbled to his feet and holstered his weapon. "Yeah, just lead the way. We're only half a mile from where Duncan signaled us and for once, I want to see his ugly, metal mug."

Brick grabbed Courtney and turned her over. "You coming?" he asked in a sorrow manner.

"I just need a minute to... get a hold. Okay?" She turned over and pouted at her admirer.

"You're coming _now_! Jo hissed at the fallen soldier. "Get up and get your _rear_ in _gear, _or you don't get paid."

Courtney groaned and allowed Brick to help her tired self up.

"Alright," Jo sighed. "Let's move!" She patriotically pumped her fist in the air, stepping backwards.

Noah rolled his eyes and strolled past the leader, a limp in his step. "Roger that."

"Fine," Courtney scowled.

"Aye, sir!" Brick marched ahead in line with the others.

As the foursome left the rubble-turned building, something dark glittered in the shadows. It moved with cat-like struts as it walked into the open, clicking it's feet against the rocky ground. The figure crossed its arms and a small chuckle escaped its covered mouth.

* * *

Topher knocked on the door and Chris hurried out, pushing the blonde into the wall. "Already?!"

"Uh, yeah, Chris. Already," Topher winked as he braced himself comfortably against the metallic wall. He was released and rubbed the creases from his elegant, black jumpsuit. "We've arrived at Uscara ahead of schedule."

"_Ahead_?! How?"

"The boosters you had installed, Mr. President. Remember?"

Chris pondered the question. He tapped his chin and shrugged. "Yeah, but what's a man to do, right? Is Councilwoman Shepherd ready for our meeting, or is she still waiting for her husband to _wheel_ her out?"

Topher tugged at his collar as Chris straightened his bowtie. "Uh, Mr. President, you won't say that to her face, correct? I don't think offending her will gain you her support _or _her vote."

"Of course not. And even if I did, she wouldn't care. All she ever thinks and talks about is her last fiance, and we all know he won't be coming back to her anytime soon. Three years away from her and Uscara? Sounds like a runaway to me."

"Well, yes, but-"

"But _nothing_. Tell her I'll speak to her whenever she's ready."

"Well, she's actually outside right now."

Chris gasped. "Wow! Someone who cares for once. Topher, get my coat and keep a few guards at the side. It's time to settle this shit." He marched ahead and Topher hung right behind him.

The hatch opened to reach the platform and Chris stepped out to see a green land surrounded by trees and mountains in the farthest distances. A massive city of marble rose above Chris' cruiser, casting a massive shadow over the landing dock. In front of Chris were dozens of guards, all coated in red and white uniforms and organized in two lines. In the middle of the lines was a young woman with red hair flowing to her shoulders. A white flower rested on her head. But what was most striking about her was her condition. From the waist down, there were merely stumps above the knees. Her dress attempted to cover the damage, but the lack of lower legs caused the cloth to fall to the ground, lifeless. Pushing her was a rather buff man with dark skin and small, beady eyes filled with kindness. He wore and tuxedo of cyan to compliment the scarlet shades of the woman in the chair.

"Welcome to Uscara, President McLean," the woman smiled half-heartedly. Bags had formed under her eyes, evidently from stress and lack of sleep.

"Councilwoman Shepherd! How nice to see you again!" Chris slightly rolled his eyes upon realizing how _excited _he sounded.

"Please, call me Zoey," she giggled. "I think it would be best to keep our meeting a bit casual. I hate tension."

"Oh, I'm sure you do," Chris nodded. He turned to his attention to the man behind Zoey. "Devon Joseph? Correct?"

"Yeah," DJ smiled, waving to the president. "Welcome to Uscara. I know you'll enjoy your short stay."

Zoey looked up at her husband and sighed. "Ready?" She turned to Chris. "Ready?"

Chris nodded, a smooth, seductive grin on his face. "You got it, _Zoey_."

The group walked, or in Zoey's case, rolled past the troops and entered the towering set of doors leading into the city walls. Chris watched the snow-topped mountains disappear as the doors sealed behind him.

* * *

Courtney tripped and grabbed her knee in pain, biting her lower lip and letting out a hiss. "Damn!"

Brick helped her to her feet. "You okay, soldier?"

She brushed herself off and shook the dust from her hair. "Yeah, just a scratch. And I can take care of myself, for your information." She walked ahead and joined Noah and Jo, leaving Brick to mope at the back of the line.

Noah yawned and turned to Jo. "So, Captain Sweatpants, ever been here?" He looked from the alleys rocky floor to the brick walls to the dark clouds above.

"Not this far below the upper rings. Well, I've been here once, and that was just to deliver a package to one of the crime lords who prefers to meet outside the public eye. I ended up having to kill him before he killed me."

"Oh, _that_ guy," said Noah, rolling his eyes. "That bounty on your ass must've been pretty big."

"A thousand credits, and that was nearly ten years ago, so just think about how much it would be today under McLean's crappy economics."

"Yeah, I hate that man. I never thought lawlessness would be so.."

"Difficult? Boring? Brutal?"

Noah scrunched his brow. "Irritating. Chris' lack of enforcement on crime might make our jobs safer, but only if we _find jobs_. And this one is _very _eely."

"I hear you, but I hear the seven thousand credits even more. Even if Duncan sucks, at least he's _our _bitch this time." She noticed Courtney flinch out the corner of her eye. "But we'll be ready for anything he pulls."

"You've said that so much I'm starting to doubt it."

"Yeah, well... HOLD!" She pushed Noah back with a slap on the chest and pulled out her gun. She pointed it to the ground where a thin wire was stretched across the ground, just an inch above the rock. "Trip-wire. And I recognize the setup too... He's close."

"I told you he was bad news!" Courtney scoffed, drawing her weapon. "But _no, _you wanted the money and I-"

"Zip it, Mrs. _Perfect_," Jo hissed. "It's an old model. Been here for... ten years."

"And hasn't been set off?" Brick knelt beside it and Jo pulled him back. "Whoa!"

"Yeah, that _is _suspicious. But if we trigger it from a distance, we should be in the clear." Jo cocked her weapon and aimed. "Get back everyone..."

The group retreated a few feet as Jo took aim.

Brick raised a hand in protest. "Uh, Jo?"

"Hold your tongue, soldier," Jo sneered.

"But-"

Jo fired and a scream erupted from Courtney amidst the gunfire. Jo snapped her head around to see her comrade on the ground, blood pouring from her right calf. Tears escaped her anger-filled eye as she wept ferociously at her commander. "_You_ _bitch!"_

Jo looked to the ground to see a sharp blade, stained with blood, lying on the ground beside them. She traced it's path to the wall to find a small hole in the bricks, prefect for a blade to shoot through. "That fucker _tricked us after all_!"

Brick comforted a hysterical Courtney and tried to apply pressure to the deep cut. "Please stop crying! It's fine!"

"No! She..." Courtney stopped speaking to hyperventilate.

Noah gasped upon a sudden realization. "That wasn't the wire!"

Jo looked at him with her brow raised and a sneer on her red face. "What do you mean?! Of course it was!"

"No. Look!" Noah pointed behind Courtney. A small part of the ground, about a foot in diameter was noticeably lower in relief then the rest of the surface. "It's a pressure plate!"

Courtney was now in shock. Her face was pale and her leg was stained with blood, turning her suit a purplish black. She made but a faint whimpering squeal as Brick held her head in his big arms. "What-"

"It's not that bad. I swear," Noah sighed, trembling in his combat boots. "Can you walk, or do we need to carry you?"

Courtney braced her boney forearms against Brick and raised her good leg. Still flowing down her face were the tears of pain that collected on her oxygen mask. She put her leg forward and Brick lifted her up. With the slightest touch of the ground, her wounded leg seized in pain and she fell into Brick's arms, screaming through her shallow breath.

Jo raised her gun and took a sweep around. "This isn't good. We need to get somewhere to bandage that before we're found. Then we-"

"Hey," a voice interrupted.

Noah and Jo immediately raised their weapons at the speaker. She wore a black jacket and jean combo and her hair was lined with teal stripes. Her eyes were dark and mysterious and her skin was translucent and pale. She raised her arms and proved herself to be without a weapon.

"Who the hell are you?!" Jo snarled, keeping the sight on the girl's forehead and her finger near the trigger.

"I'm Gwen... you're here to see Duncan. Right?" Gwen's eyes paced side to side.

"Yeah..." Noah lowered his gun just barely enough to see her full figure. "How do you know him?"

Gwen stepped forward and Jo growled. She stopped in place and cast a faint smile on the team. Courtney was huffing through grit teeth. Brick was speechless as he held her up.

"I'm a friend of his... He said you were coming and wanted to know how dangerous you were..."

Jo narrowed her eyes. "Really? He thought _we _were dangerous?"

"Quite a paradox..." Noah hummed to himself.

"He's not out for your blood," Gwen said, shaking her head. "He just needs help with a local thug who's... Well, I think he should tell you himself."

Noah and Jo shared a suspicious glance and turned back to Gwen. Jo lowered her weapon a little and stepped forward. "Do you have medical supplies? Our teammate is injured."

"We have that stuff," Gwen nodded. "I _swear_."

Noah fully lowered the gun and crossed his arms. "How do we know we can trust you? What if you're leading us into another trap?"

"I'm not!" Gwen growled. "Now, you can either trust me and let me take you to Duncan, or you can have your friend bleed out. Your choice."

Noah scoffed. "False dichotomy. What other options are there?"

"That's it."

Jo stepped closer to Gwen. "Here's the deal..." She took Gwen by the hand and pulled her close. The goth tried to pull away, but Jo held her tight. "We're gonna go find your boss or whatever he is now, and I'm going to hold my gun to your head. You can be the one to take the first bullet if either him of me shoots. Got it?"

"We don't need to make this difficult!" Gwen sucked in a breath. "He's not-"

"We can trust her," Brick sighed from behind. "I know I do. Just, please. Let her go."

Jo looked Gwen in the eye and nearly crushed her wrist before dropping her skeletal palm. "You're still not on my good side. I don't know who you are, but if you're lying and something happens to my team... Wanna finish the sentence?"

"Uh, not really," Gwen said as she rubbed her sore hand.

"Good." Jo put her gun to Gwen's chest. "Now move." She turned to Brick, Noah, and a downed, peeved Courtney. "Let's go. It's time to see how our old buddy's doing after six years."

They began to walk, but Jo stopped them. "Noah. Check her for weapons."

Noah felt up the stranger around her waist and pilfered her pockets. Nothing.

Jo nodded and pushed Gwen forward.

* * *

Chris tapped his ring finger on the table. The clacking sound was annoying, but Zoey didn't mind. She looked up at the marble ceiling and back to the president with tired eyes. "So... What was it you wanted to talk about?" she spoke in a dreary tone.

"Mrs. Shepherd, you know how valuable this planet is. I think we both know why I'm here."

"Resources?"

"Correct," Chris clapped. "Right on the nail."

"But what do you _want_?"

Chris cocked his head like a curious bird. "Well, I recently had a run in with Councilman Burromuerto. His Bolaran colony is dying and he needs resources. Apparently the last shipment didn't make it home."

"And you want... _our _resources?" Zoey wheeled herself closer to the table and rested her elbows on the top. "How much?"

"Just enough to shut old Ale-jackoff up until the next meeting. I need his support if we're ever going to pass some bills and get the galaxy back on track, and you can help support that cause today. All I ask for is a few greenhouses and some spring water. This planet is the most precious gem of the seven council planets, and it's about time we made use of its bounty."

Zoey turned shy and looked down at her reflection in the polished marble. "I don't know..."

"Zoey..." Chris took her trembling hand. "I know Mike was important to you. I lost a love when I was your age, but I didn't let it get me down. I used the emotional turmoil to push myself. I didn't give up. Now look at me. I'm the most powerful man in the Milky Way. Do you want to be this powerful?"

"Well, I never put any thought into it, but-"

"I don't need to hear the 'but.' I just need to know if you'll sign over your resources." Chris reached into his briefcase and handed Zoey a document. "Just sign at the bottom and everything will be okay."

Zoey sniffed and read over the paper. It trembled in her hands. She finished the first few lines and skimmed the rest, reluctantly signing at the bottom of the page. "There."

"Thank you," Chris smiled, patting Zoey on the shoulder. "You've just done an amazing deed. Mike would be proud."

* * *

Chris bid Zoey farewell and left the capital with his guards. Zoey wheeled her chair to the massive windows and watched the presidential cruiser lift off into the atmosphere.

"You didn't," came a voice.

"I did." Zoey turned around to see DJ standing in the doorway. The giant had his arms crossed and his lips turned up.

"Because you thought it would bring Mike back?"

"Maybe I did. I just... don't _know_."

"Mike's gone, Zoey. Has been for years, and you need to move on. I know I've said it before, but you've got to get a grip and lead, with or without Mike... and your-"

"Legs?" Zoey growled through tears. "Just say it!"

"Yeah. Your legs."

The pair were swallowed by silence.

"I don't want to look weak," Zoey sighed. "This fake marriage... it's..."

"I know. But even if I'm just a glorified bodyguard, I can still be there when you need me. Y'know what I'm saying?"

"I do. I need to be alone."

"Then go. Just be alone and think. Think about a bright future. Think about a time when Mike _does _come back and embraces you in his arms. Keep that thought. Never let that hope go."

Zoey shed her tears.

The door shut.

* * *

The door opened. Courtney, Jo, and Noah aimed their weapons straight ahead.

The man with the blood red mohawk held his hands up and looked at the band of mercenaries. "Uh... Welcome."

"Drop the weapon," Jo hissed at Duncan.

"What weapon? I'm unarmed!" The punk kept his hands in the air, but dropped them when Noah scoffed. He reached into his belt and pulled out a small handgun. Duncan dropped it and Noah picked it up.

Courtney shook as she aimed her sight between Duncan's eyes. Small tears built up in her eyes and dribbled down her chin. Brick took the gun from her weak grasp and nodded at Duncan.

"So... wanna see the place?" the delinquent smirked, crossing his arms.

Gwen gasped for breath. "What about me?!"

"You included," he told her. He looked to Jo. "Let her go."

The leader did as she was told and released. Gwen embraced Duncan and they kissed before she slipped past him and disappeared into the dark building.

"Let's go." Jo turned around to face her group. Noah was bored. Brick was smiling a relieved, blissful smile. Courtney was quietly crying, her eyes swelling with hatred and disgust. They walked inside and the door closed.

Duncan turned on a hanging lantern and the house was lit up with an orange glow. The floor was moldy and rotten. Two couches rested, covered by tarps, on opposite sides of the small room. A hallway extended to the right. Everything was dead silent.

The four removed their masks and Jo shook Duncan's greasy hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Don't play," Duncan hissed with a smile. "I know you didn't want to see me. No need to hide it like a pack of pussies." Then, he noticed Courtney's wound. "Is she okay?"

"She got sliced by a knife trap thingy," Brick said, setting her down on the creaky couch. "She's not bleeding out through... I don't think she is at least."

"We have medical supplies," Gwen coughed from down the hall. "I think I might be able to help her. Bring her in here."

Brick looked Courtney in her red eyes. "Wanna do it?"

All that escaped her mouth was a spiteful growl. "No..."

Noah raised an eyebrow and shot Duncan a suspicious glance. "Where'd you get the supplies?"

"Pfft, always so suspicious," Duncan scoffed. "Found them on a trooper who wandered outside the top rings. Two bottles of alcohol, some gauze, a knife, some tweezers, and a lollipop... Okay, no lollipop, but that other shit is there."

Brick looked at Courtney again. "Please."

She felt the pain surging in her leg and bit her lip at the sting. Reluctantly, she nodded and Brick gladly helped her up. Once they disappeared, Duncan wiped his brow clean of sweat.

"Bet she was just ecstatic about this, huh?" he droned sarcastically.

"Why are we here?" Jo wasted no time in asking her former comrade the pressing question. He rubbed the nape of his neck. "What?!"

"Well..." he started. Jo glared at him. Noah glared at him.

"What is it?!" Noah huffed, tempted to draw his weapon.

"The seven thousand credits? That's what you want?"

"What's the problem?" Jo asked.

"Nothing." Duncan sighed. "We need to talk. Brief you on the mission. We'll wait until _crew cut _in there gets done with Courtney. He needs to hear this too."

"It was your trap." Jo hissed, plopping down on the couch.

"What trap?" Duncan rolled his eyes.

"Your wire trap and plate combo got her leg. About thirty minutes ago. She was hysterical."

"That... wasn't mine," Duncan gasped, grabbing the edge of the sofa and looking at his feet.

"Well... who's was it?" Noah demanded to know.

Duncan sat down and grabbed his face, rubbing his temples. "It was the guy you're after. Scott Wallis."

Jo and Noah just stared at Duncan. Then, as if all hell had broken loose, Courtney released a bloodcurdling scream from down the hall.

* * *

**(HOVR)**

* * *

**~A/N~ There you go, Duncan fans! No, Gwuncan is not a major focus as of now, nor do I ship it. Everything shall work out in the end. You'll see. There are only four chapters left in Act I, so I hope you're excited! :D**

**Anyways, don't forget to review, fav, and follow to make sure you don't miss the rest of the story, and I'll see you next time! Foreseer... out!**


	5. Nightwatch

**~A/N~ Okay, just to clarify, Duncan has a blood red mohawk in this universe, not a green one. Sorry if that was confusing. Secondly, enjoy!**

* * *

_Act I_

_Chapter 5: Nightwatch_

* * *

Courtney screamed as the alcohol seeped into her wound, creating a blast of pain akin to that of the initial cut. Gwen tried to calm her down and grew more impatient by the second. Brick held her hand to keep her calm, but she squeezed so tight that he lost circulation.

Gwen reached into the case of supplies and held a bottle out to Brick. "Have her take these. They're sleeping pills!"

"I don't need them!" Courtney hissed through the pain. "Just put the damn bandage on!" She slammed her fist into the squeaky bed and took quick, shallow breaths.

Brick opened the bottle and put two tablets in his hand. "Courtney. Take these. Please. They'll _help _you."

"I can take it," she said, prepping for another blast of pain.

"No! Take the pills!" Gwen begged. "If you're not asleep, you could make it worse if you trash around. Either that, or we tie you up."

Jo burst into the room. "What the hell's going on here? Sounded like someone got stabbed in the eye."

"She won't take her pills," Brick shrugged in a panic. "She thinks she-"

"I _don't _need them!" Courtney snarled. "I'm not some little girl any more!"

Jo looked to Gwen. "Need me to help?"

"Uh... What are you gonna do?" Gwen asked.

The short-haired woman snatched the pills from Brick, but dropped them as soon as they were in her palm. She didn't even think before she picked them up off the dirty floor and reached for Courtney's sweat-drenched face. She bit and tried to get up and run, but Jo jumped on top of her and straddled her at the waist.

"Take. The pill."

"I'm fine without it. Now get _off _of m-"

Jo shoved her gloved fingers in Courtney's mouth and the pills went down. Courtney bit down, but Jo's gloves blocked the force. With the deed done, Jo got off of Courtney and watched as she slowly drifted off into a light snooze and then deep sleep.

"Holy shit... that's powerful stuff," Jo said in disbelief. "Would've figured it would take a few minutes."

Gwen collapsed on the chair behind her and rolled her eyes. "Well, she's shut up. Can't argue with that logic."

* * *

Duncan and Noah sat in silence. The delinquent played with his glossy, red hair and stroked his mohawk. Noah turned to him with his brow raised.

"Did you always have _red _hair?" Noah asked him.

"No. I got sick of green."

"Ah. I see. And I suppose your rather... clean appearance suggests that you have running water?"

Duncan shot a hiss at Noah. "Stop with the suspicion. You're here to take out Scott, not interrogate me."

"But we're the ones getting the moolah. It'd be best to know the client first, and so far, all we know is that you're a scumbag with red hair and a box of medical supplies. Look at me and tell me that doesn't warrant _some _suspicion."

"It doesn't. Now zip it before I kick the lot of you out... or just dock your pay."

Noah smirked. "You _do _need us!"

"I never said that," he scoffed. "I just want the job done without any problems."

"As do I," said Jo as she entered the living room with Brick and Gwen.

"Hey, hotshot," Duncan winked at the robust woman. "She down?"

"And out," Gwen said. "We had to shove the pills down her throat, but she's _finally _asleep."

"She'll wake up soon, right?" Brick asked in worry.

Gwen shrugged and sat by Duncan. "In about six hours."

Jo and Brick sat beside Noah. Jo immediately took charge of the situation by asking Duncan to update her on the mission.

"Well..." Duncan started, pulling out a holo-device. "You're going after an old associate of mine: Scott Wallis. He's the local boy I mentioned in the first call, and he owes me a shit load of money. All you guys need to do is take him alive and bring him back to me. Do that, and the money is yours."

"I want to see the money first," Jo sneered.

Duncan's eyes suddenly opened wide and turned to the floor. "Well, let's not rush things. We have time to talk it-"

"No we don't. Where's the credits, dude?"

"..._He _has them. There."

Jo huffed a breath and crossed her arms, throwing her head into the back of the couch. "Unbelievable... Just... wow."

"But look," Duncan said, turning on the small device. An image of a man with orange hair popped on the screen. He was wearing a suit of black armor and had a tuft of hair on his chin. "That's him. He has the credits in his hideout down a few miles: by the lower docks. If you take him out, the loot is yours... minus my portion. But don't worry; you get 7,000 credits either way!"

Brick sighed. "I thought we could trust you, but... I don't know."

Duncan stood up and so did Gwen. They walked closer to the trio. "Look..." he said. "I'm no liar. I've done some bad things, but this is no joke. It's been six years. If I wanted to kill you, I'd have done it by now."

"Okay," Jo mumbled, meeting Duncan eyes to eye. "Let's just say that this money is real and we get our share. We'd never see you again?"

"If all possible," he nodded.

"Just accept it already," Gwen groaned, her eyes radiating with tension and bitterness. "We don't have much time to get moving before we miss our chance. Scott has been in one location for a while and if he catches wind of our plan, he could just get up and move someplace else. And we are _not tracking him down again_!"

"Wait..." Noah crossed his arms and his jaw fell just a little. "You know where he is and _you _haven't tried to take him out? What?!"

"Has it ever crossed your thick ego that maybe he has _guards?_" Duncan asked. "The place is crawling with them."

"And three of us have more potential than two of you?" Brick asked, confused. "I'm not a math guy, but even _I _know that doesn't really change anything."

"Well, he doesn't know you guys," Gwen added. "The mission requires you to get close for the kill... or kidnapping, I guess. If either of us tried to get in, we'd be shot on sight."

"And three strangers with weapons won't?" Noah said, rolling his hazel eyes.

"Did you even hear what I said?!" Gwen snapped.

"Myeh," Noah shrugged.

Gwen gently slapped her head. "You're not _walking _into his base. It's a break in... at night, by the way. Which means we need to move within the hour."

Jo raised her arm. "Well, I'm in, if only to get my money... if it even _exists_."

"It _does_." Duncan flashed a mean look of disgust at her. "Trust me."

Jo looked at Noah and Brick. "Men?"

"Reporting for duty, ma'am," Brick said, saluting and rising to his feet.

Noah shrugged. "Myeh."

Duncan leaned forward and grinned, revealing a mouth of gold and silver teeth, some sharpened into fangs. "Alright. Here's the deal... Jo, Noah, and new guy, you'll be going with Gwen to the docks. I'll stay here with Courtney."

"No. You won't," Jo hissed through grit teeth. "Not again."

"I won't do anything..."

"We don't care," Noah scoffed. "As far as we're concerned, you're the same asshole we left here six years ago."

Gwen sighed and stood up. "We don't have time to argue. Duncan can stay here, now let's get moving. Trust me, he won't hurt her."

"Uh... What did he do?" a befuddled Brick asked.

"Nothing," Duncan growled.

Jo sighed. "He-" She paused. "No. I need to hear it from you," she told Duncan. "Go ahead. Noah and I already know. It's time that rookie knew as well. Go ahead. I'm waiting."

Duncan took in a gulp of air and scowled. "I got a little out of control and she was in the way."

"More," Noah gazed at him with disgust.

"Guys, I get it," Brick sniffed. "I think I understand. Just leave him alone. Now, can we get going?"

Gwen and Duncan nodded and Jo turned away from the duo. Noah and Brick grabbed their weapons and nodded as well.

* * *

The suns were setting and the already darker layers of the city were turning to pitch blackness. The towering skyscrapers' shadows retreated with the light, leaving the city in a glow of yellow and red plasma.

The docks were quiet. Four figures dashed from dumpster to dumpster. They became bathed in a warm glow as Gwen lit her glowstick, emphasizing the forms of her pale, translucent face.

"Ready?" she asked the others. "There are three guard posts around the compound. Brick and Jo, you guys take the east. Noah, you and I can take the west. We'll meet up to take the center bunker. If anything goes wrong... just don't get caught."

"Don't get caught?" Noah scoffed. "Honey, the odds are that _one _of us bound to get spotted eventually. Don't you think we need a plan? Maybe we could-"

"Shoot a flare?" Brick suggested.

Jo slapped him in the face. "Are you crazy? That's bound to get us seen."

"Sorry," he sighed, rubbing his sore cheek. "What if-"

"No more ideas," Gwen mumbled. "You know your objectives, now come on!"

Noah and Gwen split with Jo and Brick just as a spotlight shined over the dumpster and back across the grounds.

The goth and bookworm huddled behind a fallen wall and looked into each other's eyes.

"The bunker is just over this courtyard," Gwen smiled. "Think you're up for a sprint?"

Noah smirked and rolled his eyes, reaching for his legs. "Yeah, these noodles are _totally _fit for this. Bring on the intense physical labor."

Gwen snickered. "Yeah. Got it." She suddenly became tense. "But this is the only way, so get your ass in gear and move it." She hurled herself over the pile of rubble and Noah followed behind, his weapon drawn.

A flash of light buzzed in the distance and the courtyard was lit up with white light. Noah and Gwen stopped and dove behind another broken wall until the light passed. They kept up with the pattern of lights and figured out a leisurely pace at which they could progress.

The duo approached a gate of barbed wire and Noah groaned. "Seriously? Got anything to cut it with?"

"Yep." Gwen pulled a small stick of metal from her backpack and pushed a button. A beam of blue energy surged from the tip and she sliced clean through the thick wire in a three foot by three foot square, allowing her and Noah to slip through.

Once Noah had cleared the gate he smiled and sheathed his weapon, walking beside Gwen. "Nice one. Where can I get one of those?"

"Ya know... just came with the job, I guess. I took out some dick's eye with it before. Hasn't left my side since."

"Delightful."

* * *

Jo pulled on the gate and hissed in pain as the barbs dug into her gloved hands. Brick casually stood behind her and nibbled at his lips.

"Just... a little... _more," _Jo growled, tugging at the thick wires with all her strength. Finally, they were parted enough for the team leader to pull her torso through. She motioned for Brick to follow.

Brick squeezed his big shoulders through, getting stabbed multiple times in his arms. He finally pushed his legs through and stood up, shaking the blood and sweat from his skin. "Ready to press on, Ma'am," he saluted.

"Suck up," Jo sneered, turning away and leaving Brick in the dark. He sulked and followed his commander, dragging his feet.

* * *

The three guards moved from end to end of the room, scanning outside the bunker through wide windows.

"So..." the first guard, a buff male, mumbled to his comrades. "Wanna play some cards or something?"

"Hell yeah!" another guard sighed loudly. "I'm sick of walking. Eh, Bill. Get your deck."

The third guard, Bill, walked over and pulled a deck of old playing cards out of his drawer. They all dropped their rifles and sat in a loose triangle on the ground.

Bill shuffled the deck and smiled. "So, what we gonna play?"

"This," came a voice.

The trio looked to the opened door to see Brick and Jo standing with their guns raised.

"Who the hell are you? And how did you get in?!" Bill stood up with his friends, their arms raised.

"Not important," Jo shrugged. "Now move aside. We're taking those weapons." She gestured to the rifles on the floor.

The trio stepped aside, their bodies trembling in shock and fear. Jo picked up a rifle and checked to see if it was loaded. It was.

"Oh yeah," she cackled wickedly, picking up the other two. She turned to the guards and smiled, her eyes narrowed.

* * *

Gwen and Noah slowly moved through the corridor with their guns at the ready. Noises of clanking and footsteps echoed throughout the building and talking could be heard from down the hall. Gwen hushed Noah with a finger and peeked around a corner, eyeing a guard blocking their way into the main room.

Noah leaned forward and over Gwen. Without saying a word, he reached into his backpack and pulled out a piece of rubble. Gwen tried to stop him, but it was too late. Noah tossed the rock down the hall and the guard followed the noise right past them. Seeing his chance in front of him, Noah tripped the man and Gwen pulled him into their hallway, strangling him until he couldn't breath. She reached into his belt and took his gun with a silencer, a tracker, and a smokebomb.

Noah peeked around the corner and moved out with Gwen behind him. They calmly approached the door and, with their guns raised, knocked three times.

The door opened and Gwen fired the silenced rifle into the guard's head. He fell, revealing half a dozen others who fell just as easily to her semi-automatic weapon.

* * *

After leaving the three dead guards at their posts, Jo and Brick dropped outside and made their way to the central bunker just in time to meet Gwen and Noah.

"You guys okay? No one got hurt?" Brick asked.

"Well, we're okay," Gwen panted. "But the guards are a different story. Yeah."

"You killed yours too?" Jo asked. "Wow, we're more in common than I thought, Goth-Ball."

Gwen sneered. "Don't call me that again, Jo." She dropped the anger and turned to the boys. "Alright. It's time to take number three. This is more fortified, but it's nothing compared to the danger of the main base. Think of this as a warm-up."

"A warm-up?" Noah scoffed. "If it's as easy as the last bunker, I think _warm-up _is a bit too generous."

"Hilarious," Gwen said with deadpan. "Let's move... or, you'll move. I'll stay here and guard the entrance. Make your way to the top floor and take out the spotlights. Once that's done we take the base and capture Scott _alive_."

Their hands met in center of the huddle and they all nodded in sync.

* * *

Duncan stood by Courtney's bedside as she slept. He watched her chest rise... and fall... and rise... and fall. He lustfully examined her caramel skin and perfect curves, forcing himself to hold back his hands from running over her unconscious temple of a body. Instead, he grabbed her hand and sat beside her.

"I'm sorry," he sighed. "I know you can't hear it, but I really am. It wasn't supposed to go that far, and you know it too." He kissed her hand and looked at her chest again. He got lost in the up and down rhythm again, only to snap out of the trance when a knock rang at the door.

Duncan left Courtney and walked into the living room to unlock the door. When he opened it, he gasped. Standing in front of him was a figure draped in black armour. The figure chuckled and forced its way in.

* * *

Upon entering the bunker, it was eerily quiet. No footsteps. No talking. No noise other than the breathing of our heroes.

"That's odd," Brick said, perplexed. "I thought it would be _teeming_ with guards."

"Yeah, I did too," Jo said suspiciously, poking her head around every corner. "Nothing."

They slowly walked up the large staircase to the top floor without seeing or hearing a single guard. With their weapons raised, Jo and Noah led the way towards the main sanctum of the tower. The door was bolted shut, and could only be opened by a passcode, typed into the electronic keypad on the door.

"Damn!" Jo hissed under her breath. "Gwen never said anything about this."

"She couldn't have known," Noah whispered. "All she knew was the layout of the base."

"Well, she owes us then. This is impossible to crack."

"What if we wait for someone to open it?" Brick asked, brimming with optimism.

"Yeah, that'd be time-efficient," Noah snorted.

"Got any better ideas?" Brick glared at Noah with disdain. "Guys, we're on a tight schedule, and I know that for a fact. But we need to take this place no matter what. It's part of the mission."

Jo scoffed. "Like you're sticking to the plan has been a help. Why don't you just run out with a grenade and bomb the door? Then could you ya shoot me for good measure?"

"Guys, _shut_ up!" Noah growled from within his throat. "Let's just... knock and see what happens. We can pretend to be guards until they open the door."

"That's ridonculous," Brick gasped. "I don't even have a-"

Jo shoved a pistol into his hands. "There. Enjoy."

Brick ran his hands over the warm body and smiled. "Thanks. Wait! Is this loaded?"

Jo groaned. "Uh, yeah... I can take out the bullets if you want."

"Nope," Brick said, cradling the weapon in his arms as if it was his child.

Suddenly, footsteps echoed from inside the room. The trio quickly raised their weapons and watched as the door creaked open. A man with orange hair and freckles peeked his rat-like face out of the door and gasped in horror upon seeing the intruders.

"It's him!" Jo shouted with bloodlust. She leapt towards Scott and grabbed the door before he could slam it shut. He pulled, she pulled, Brick and Noah pulled. The game of tug-of-war went on until Scott ditched the door, causing the trio to fall into each other. Jo pushed the guys off of her and ran into the room in time to see Scott strapping on a backpack. She raised her gun and stared at him with hatred. "Drop the goddamn pack, you son of a bitch!"

Scott trembled in place and back up against the open window of the bunker. "Look, lady. I know why you're here. Duncan sent you, didn't he? Now, I know what you're here to do, and all I have to say is... don't listen to them. You don't know what you're playing with!"

"Shut up and drop it!" Jo screamed. Noah and Brick entered the room behind her.

Scott turned and eyed the open sky at his back. "Guys, listen. Duncan. You can't trust him."

"You stole 7,000 credits from him," Noah scoffed. "You tell _me_ who's to be trusted? Pathetic."

"It's not what it seems!" Scott begged. "You have to believe me. If you knew what he was, you'd ditch him too. I'm never going back!" He let himself fall out the wide window and Jo rushed to the edge in time to watch Scott soar to the ground with a parachute over his head.

Without giving it any thought, she pushed her way past the men and broke into a mad dash down the stairs. When she reached the bottom of the tower, she grabbed Gwen by the shoulders. "He's getting away! He was in there the whole time and he's making a break for the city!"

Gwen growled and grabbed her weapon. "Follow me! If he gets away, this whole mission is screwed!"

The team ran past the tower's base and across the courtyard. Scott was nowhere to be seen, but Gwen's tracker showed a beeping blue dot at a hundred yards. The chase was _on_.

* * *

**(SKVL)**

* * *

**~A/N~ Hooray for cliffhangers! Any who, I hope you enjoyed. There are only three chapters left in Act I, and the main plot hasn't even started. So if you thought this has been epic or deep so far, you've seen nothing yet! ;)**


	6. Bad Cargo

**~A/N~ Time to resolve some cliffhangers (and introduce a few more) in the biggest chapter yet, plotwise at least. This is where things get real! ;)**

* * *

_Act I_

_Chapter 6: Bad Cargo_

* * *

Scott ran. He ran for his life. He put every ounce of energy into every leap and bound he made. He ran past broken buildings and even further broken people that sat in low numbers on the side of the roads. The streets were glowing with reds and yellows that blinded him upon finding a direct beam. Scott fell, but managed to pick himself up again and again. He could hear the shouts and steps of his enemies closing in and threw himself into a shattered window until the commotion passed.

Scott snickered and grabbed his chest to make sure he was still breathing. "Tards..." he chuckled, wiping the sweat from his cheeks. The thug stood up and came face to face with a dark figure on the other side of the window. He fell back and the black humanoid entered through the hole with a snicker. Scott pushed himself into the back wall as the thing came towards him, it's dark armour glimmering in the night lights from above.

* * *

Noah collapsed to the ground and finally gave out after ten minutes of solid running with heavy gear over his back. Gwen sat down on an old broken dresser that had been thrown into the deserted streets of old. Brick and Jo were still huffing, but showed no signs of tire.

"Did we... lose him?" Brick gasped between deep breaths. He looked to Jo and saw her trembling with anger.

Gwen propped her gun on her knee and sighed angrily. "Looks like it. We could split up, but there's no guarantee we'd find him. Whatcha think?"

"We should've just shot him right there," Jo mumbled. "Saved us all this crap."

"But we needed him _alive! _Remember?" Gwen snapped and stood up, shooting a glare at Jo. She pushed her face into hers, spreading her warm breath on the huffing woman. Jo pushed back and snorted.

"You need to relax," Noah groaned, turning over and rolling his eyes. "The last thing we need is a fight, and you two are not killing each other today."

Jo scoffed. "Don't tell me what to do, brainiac. I'm the leader here."

"But I'm leading the _mission_!" Gwen hissed. "You want to take charge? Go ahead and get yourselves screwed. I know this place better than any of you misfits, so shut up and get focused already. Get it?"

Brick put a hand on Jo's shoulder and gave her a look of desperation. "Just... please."

Jo brushed Brick off and smirked at the goth. "_I _don't know this place? Bitch, you have no idea who I am! I lived here on the streets for a decade! I know every nook and cranny to this branch of the city and how to get from A to B. How long have _you _been here? A year? Two? Or is it more like a month?"

Gwen closed her eyes and dropped her gaze. "Okay. You win. But don't think you're in control of this mission. Duncan is expecting is back by first sunrise in an hour or so. We should get back and update the playing field. We'll resume our search soon. Don't worry. You'll get your money..."

"Yeah. We better get it," Jo said, walking off into the glowing streets. She stopped to kick a passing stray dog and pressed on, leaving it terrified.

Noah approached Gwen and casually put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. She'll be fine. Just don't poke her."

* * *

Chris McLean sat in his office watching the stars pass by. Large clouds of blues and greens and purples swam across the expanse, casting a warm glow on the presidential cruiser. Using the force of his legs, he pushed himself around to face the desk just as a call rang on his holo-screen. He tapped a small button and a face popped up.

A young, muscular man with orange hair and a wide chin greeted him with a faint smile. "Hey, Mr. President."

"Rodney?! How'd it go? Did they take the offer?"

Rodney nibbled softly on his lip. "Uh... Maybe."

Chris narrowed his eyes. "Maybe? What's that supposed to mean? Did they not take the job?!"

"No one, uh, there. We tried to find them, but-"

"But the package is due in less than eight hours! Okay, y'know what? Forget that team. Just find another one to deliver it."

"Oh, uh... I don't think that's gonna happen..."

Chris scowled. "And _why?!"_

"Well, I kind of left it there for them."

Chris exploded, jumping up onto his desk. "You just _left _the package there?! Are you out of your mind! What if they don't deliver it? How will they know where it goes?!"

"Well, I left a note on it and set it in front of their ship. Found it docked on Ebreon."

"A _note_?! Rodney, go die."

"Sorry, sir. I thought you needed that team specifically. I can go get it back."

"Forget it. I'll just send O'Halloran a message and tell her where it's at. She can send a team out."

"Isn't she asleep right now?"

Chris paused and rolled his eyes. "Rodney. Go away. Just... go away."

"Uh, yes, sir. Right away sir." The buff man fiddled with his device below the screen. "Uh, how do you turn this thing off?"

Chris pushed a button and the screen faded. The president slammed his head on the desk and ran his fingers though his black locks. "Knew I should've sent someone _competent_."

* * *

Gwen knocked on the metal door with a clank. No one answered. "Duncan?!" she shouted, banging repeatedly on the door. The goth turned to the team. "He's not answering..."

"Maybe he's asleep?" Brick pointed out. "Knock again."

Gwen looked to Noah and Jo, both of whom shrugged. "Screw it!" Gwen shoved her foot into the door and shattered the lock, slamming the door against the inside wall. After throwing her weapons on the couch, she dashed through the house calling for her boyfriend.

Brick spared no time in running to Courtney and checking for her safety. The door opened easily and Courtney was found asleep and well. Brick smiled and approached her with a gentle stride. When the rookie put his hand in hers, she slightly opened her eyes and smiled.

"B-Brick?" she groaned, sitting up and stretching her arms. Courtney flipped the bedsheets and saw her bandaged leg. The pain was much more tolerable now, so she finally stood with Brick to support her.

Gwen entered the living room just as Brick and Courtney arrived. The goth had sweat rolling down her face, smearing her black makeup. "He's gone. He's just... gone!"

"Relax," Noah shrugged. "I'm sure he's just out somewhere doing... gang stuff."

"Gang stuff?" Gwen scoffed. "My boyfriend isn't a gang member. He's-"

"Not the point," Courtney sighed. "If he's gone, and you didn't get your guy, then what about our money?"

Gwen silenced herself. Only the sounds of far off generators and ships were heard. "I don't know."

"You don't know?" Jo hissed maliciously, grabbing her pistol. "We're getting that money. We're not leaving until we get our credits, bitch!"

* * *

Jo, Brick, Noah, and Courtney walked through the streets in dead silence. No one dared to speak, not that anyone wanted to at least. Jo and Noah were pissed, evidenced by their scowls. Courtney and Brick were just depressed. People crawled through the ghetto and out of their way.

_"Go," said an exhausted Gwen. "It's over."_

Jo clenched a fist and wiped the sweat and tears from her cheeks. Her legs moved without command. Right. Left. Right. Left. Right. Left. Right...

_"We had a deal!" Noah growled from deep within his throat. He shoved his hand into Gwen's chest. "We had a f-"_

_"No. You didn't. Go," Gwen said, shoving Noah back. The brainiac developed a look of disgust on his dirty face._

Brick looked to Courtney and brushed the hair out of her face with a careful move of the hand, revealing her blood-shot eyes.

_Gwen grabbed her gun and pointed it at Jo's head. "Now. I'm serious."_

Courtney limped forward with Brick as a crutch. "I don't want to live anymore. It's not worth it."

"Don't say that," Brick gasped. "You mean the world to me. This team means the world to me. You took me in and made me one of your own. You're heroic and stoic. You're amazing, and I love that."

"Well, I don't feel amazing."

Brick smiled. "I get that, but this is just one failed mission. If we stick together, we'll be rich in no time. We just need to give it some time."

"Brick," Courtney sighed. "We haven't had a good pay in two years. Once McLean took over, our hopes were shot."

"But change can happen. I've seen it."

"In movies. Change is never a good thing. On paper it is, but out here, in the real world, it only causes problems."

Brick looked at the ground, kicking rubble as he went along. The stench of pollution filled his nostrils. "I know things are bad everywhere in the Milky Way, but at least we have each other. This team is great. I just wish everyone could see that."

"Me too, but with all the cynics here..."

Brick let out a sad whine. "Yeah."

_The group left a sad Gwen in the living room and closed the door, slamming it shut and rattling the shack to the core. The glass pane in the nearby window shattered and Jo mumbled angrily. "Let's just go."_

* * *

Noah and Jo stopped in front of the _Igneous _and turned to each other.

"Ready?" Noah asked, his eyes falling to his boots.

"Yeah."

Jo stepped forward and smacked into something with a _clang!_ "Ow!" she screeched.

"What?!" Brick gasped.

"It's..." She felt around on something cold and hard, but it wasn't visible. "It's invisible." Jo slammed a fist on it and a bright flash blinded the group.

Their eyes opened and in front of them was a metal crate, standing up to Jo's chest. The edges were locked with glowing rods and the top was decorated with buttons and various screens.

Courtney's jaw fell. "Uh..."

"It's a box," Brick said in amazement.

"No shit," Noah said, his eyes wide and glowing. He stepped forward and touched one of the blue buttons and a hologram popped up to fill the night air. Noah and Jo fell back in surprise and figure came into view. The man was tall and handsome with black locks and a blue business suit.

"Greetings Team Igneous! I'm... Well, you know who _I _am. As President of the Milky Way, I, Chris McLean, am recruiting _you _for a very special job that only _you _can accomplish. Inside this package is a very important artifact that shall be delivered to the attached address at the designated time. Complete this mission, and the receiver shall, at my request, bestow upon you 200,000 credits on the spot. This is not an optional quest. Fail to abide by this order, and you'll be executed... or something like that. I'm kinda on my lunch break and Rodney's being annoying, so yeah. Tell him to suck a-"

"And I'm in!" Jo cheered, shutting off the machine and facing the other three. "Come on!"

Noah rolled his eyes. "No way. Dealing with Duncan is one thing, but the _president?! That's crazy!"_

"And we just randomly get this thing on our doorstep?" Courtney scoffed. "Sounds fishy."

"Fishy," Brick reiterated.

Jo narrowed her eyes and grabbed the box. "Well, I'm getting some money and-" She paused. "Oh, let me check the place on the thing." She looked over the screen and read the name. "Mildred!?"

Noah got suspicious. "As in the Councilwoman? The councilwoman who cheated the Ebreonites out of millions? Count me out."

"Chris _and _Mildred are a _double_ whammy," Courtney groaned. "You can deal with them all you want."

"Yeah. Double whammy," Brick said.

Jo pulled the box on board as Noah rubbed his chin. "You sure that thing doesn't, I don't know, have _a bomb in it!?"_

"It's fine," Jo laughed.

"You're crazy," Courtney sneered. "Get a grip and think of what could go wrong!"

"Screw the math. I'm getting paid!" Jo disappeared into the ship and the others reluctantly followed.

Just as the ship closed, Noah stopped and sighed. "You _are _crazy."

The _Igneous _ignited it's engines and took off into the night sky as dark figure approached the docks. On board a few loose screws rattled on the control panel. The sun was about to rise and light Ebreon on fire.

* * *

Mildred O'Halloran awoke in her soft bed and sat up to rub her eyes, sore from a night of hard work in the office. Seconds later, her alarm rang with a beep and she smiled. "Showtime."

One shower and a bowl of cereal later, Blaineley was standing on her dock as the second sun rose to greet the capital city. Massive shadows crawled up the mile high buildings, casting a line of darkness upon the cityscape below through the cloudless sky.

Ten armed guards stood by her side as the ship approached. The _Igneous _touched down and the panel underneath opened to her excitement.

Jo stepped out with a smile on her face and the crate behind her. Courtney, Noah, and Brick followed quickly behind her with their guns in hand.

Blaineley strutted up to Jo like a supermodel on a runway and a sexy smirk across her face. "Why, what a welcome surprise! Glad to see you on time."

"No problem," said Jo with an arrogant snort. "Anything for-"

"Money?" Noah asked.

"Yeah," Jo said, smiling. "Money. All 200,000 credits of it."

"Coming right up," O'Halloran winked, pulling out a holo-card from her pocket and placing it in Jo's open palm. "Don't spend it all in one place."

As the trio sneered at their leader, Jo snapped card into her hands and laughed. "Ha! I'm rich! Rich! _Rich_!"

"Grrreeeaaat," Blaineley said, rolling her eyes. "Now get out!"

Jo nodded and they went their separate ways. She joined her team and showed them the card as Blaineley walked towards the capital tower with the box behind her, carried by a dozen buff guards.

"Well?" Noah shrugged. "There's our money. Happy?"

"Oh yeah!" Jo exclaimed. "We're rich as-"

_BOOOOOOMMMmmm!_

Smoke filled the polluted air and everyone hit the floor. Courtney looked up to see the blasters on the ship smoking as if they'd just been fired. Brick rose to his feet to see the guards scrambling to find their weapons. Noah was left on the ground in the fetal position.

Jo stood up to see a charred figure on the ground in front of her. It's long hair had been burned to nothing. Skin was falling off everywhere and reeked of death. A small flame burned bright on the red dress.

"Fire!" came a booming, masculine voice.

The gunfire rang out and the four dove behind the lightposts on the dock. Brick grabbed his gun and fired, killing one of the soldiers. Unfortunately, he was hit straight on by a paralyzing blast of electricity, causing him to pass out and hit the ground. Noah and Courtney were hit soon after, with Jo being the final victim. She fired her weapon again and again until she fell and everything went black.

* * *

**(IDWVZI)**

* * *

**~A/N~ And another cliffhanger! Surprise! :D**

**This was a hard chapter to write and ended up a bit rushed in my opinion, but nothing too big had to happen until the end, so hopefully the short length of this episode and the time it took to update don't seem too contradictory. I've been working on my new season story, so don't expect another update for a while (maybe a month). Foreseer... out!**


	7. Reflection

**~A/N~ After that travesty known as the last episode, it's time to redeem myself with the penultimate chapter of Act I. I've been looking forward to this chapter for a few obvious reasons, so no more stalling. Enjoy, and don't forget to review. Let's try to get to number 40 by the end of Act I if possible. ;)**

* * *

_Act I_

_Chapter 7: Reflection_

* * *

The buzz of the engine rattled their bodies. Blood dripped into pools and vibrated with the movement of the ship. Everything was nearly quiet aside from the roars of anger and machinery in the distance. The room was dark, cold, and smelt of sweat and feces, it's walls smeared with blood and dirt. Whatever light snuck through the grating glowed on the wall and the four bodies on the ground. No one moved.

* * *

Brick stepped forward as sand blew into his covered face. The young man pulled down on his mask to reveal his eyes. The other men and women beside him stared at the man with surprise and suspicion.

He looked at the trio walking away and shouted. "Wait!"

The leader turned around and cast a stone cold gaze into his pupils. The two beside her looked at him and waited for any response.

"I'm... coming."

"What?" the leader asked in shock.

"He's coming with us," the girl whispered into her ear.

"I know that," Jo hissed back. She faced Brick. "Why?!"

"I want to see the galaxy!" Brick replied, smiling. "I want to be a part of something."

"What about us?" a man beside Brick asked with fear in his voice. "What about _us?!_"

"I hate Iophus. I hate the desert," he replied, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Sir, please understand."

Jo walked to the group through broken buildings and stood in front of Brick. "Rookie."

Brick saluted. "Ma'am."

Jo smirked. "Respectful. Interesting."

"Am I on?"

"Maybe. What are your credentials?"

"I'm strong, heroic, brave."

"I see."

"Me too." Brick smiled and Jo rolled her eyes.

"Just hurry up before I change my mind, rookie. We _do _need a good strong man around here."

Noah sneered and Courtney giggled a little before he shoved her aside with his elbow, causing her to fall into a sandbank.

Brick saluted Jo and she saluted back. "Welcome to the team, MacArthur. Don't do anything stupid. Okay?"

Brick smiled, but it didn't last. Jo fell to the ground with a flash of red exploding over his face. Behind the fallen Jo was Brick, armed with a pistol. Brick gasped and fell back into darkness as his doppelganger watched with no emotion from a distance.

* * *

Brick opened his eyes and gasped for breath. Everything was a flash to him. The explosion, the fire, the shock. Nothing was clear. Even his vision was hazy. He grabbed his numb arm and looked to his sides, spotting a motionless Jo a few feet away. He wanted to reach out, but he couldn't move far without the pain stabbing him in the arm. The cadet crawled forward using his legs and hips until he pushed himself into her side.

"J-Jo?"

Nothing.

"Jo?!"

...

* * *

Jo sat in the street as people walked by, stirring dust and splashing mud over her boots. She pulled her hood over her head and sighed. The sounds of machinery roared in her ears and she hurried to cover them. Feet passed by for hours it seemed. Time was nothing. The suns would set and and rise and set and rise again and again. Jo had plenty of time.

Out of nowhere, she was shoved to the ground and her cloak fell off her dirty face. The man laughed and kept walking, igniting some instinct in Jo that lifted her to her feet. With a single shove, the man was on the ground and screaming with rage. Jo cracked her knuckles and delivered an upward punch to his face as he stood up to defend. The man hit the ground again as blood seeped from his nose. He didn't get back up.

Jo walked away as fast as she could, wiping the blood on her cloak. Her breaths became fast and desperate as people started screaming behind her. She ducked into an alleyway and grabbed her head with her back against the wall. The blood stained her hands and she couldn't help but growl out of frustration. She shoved the hands in her pockets and kept walking to clear her mind.

* * *

Jo let out a snore and Brick sighed in relief.

"You're alive. Thank God..."

To his left, Brick spotted Noah and Courtney laying side by side against the walls of the small enclosure. He rushed to their sides, ignoring the pain, and grabbed to feel for pulses. Once Noah's status was confirmed, he checked Courtney's and brushed the hair out of her eyes. Her face was cold and sweaty, alarming the cadet. Wasting no time, he dragged both friends to Jo and set them together. As a final touch, he removed his armoured vest and set it on top of them like a blanket, allowing the cold to bite at his exposed skin.

"We'll be okay, team," he said through trembling lips. "I know things are bad, but we'll be fine. I'll get us out somehow; they can't keep us here forever."

Brick let a few seconds pass to listen to the snoring.

"It's not like we're trapped. There's always a way out, always a silver lining. That's what my dad told me at least. I know you never heard this story, but since we're all here together, I think I should-"

Noah shuffled a little and Brick gasped. He stopped moving and started snoring again.

* * *

Duncan and Jo took their seats at the bar and ordered a drink or two. Seconds later, they were drinking whiskey and watching the entrance.

"He's on Ebreon, right?" Duncan asked, starting to worry. "He said he'd meet us at this bar, but maybe he thought it was a different planet's chain."

"Stop worrying, Dud-can," Jo scoffed. "He'll be here soon. He's a pilot, so he probably stopped for fuel somewhere."

Duncan looked outside at the massive tower in the distance and the cargo ships used to build it. The top was a mess of wiring and frames that stretched for miles into the clouds. "Yeah," he said, lost in the view.

As they waited, a young man with tan skin and a huge forehead sat by them. His scrawny physique reeked of weakness and his bony face made him look sick.

Jo smiled and nudged Duncan to get his attention, giving him a look that said "Watch this." She turned to the young man and crossed her arms. "Hey, stickman. Aren't you a little young to be in this place?"

"Only if _this _isn't by my side," said the man, pulling a pistol from his belt and winking. "Also, I'm 18. And you might want to show your pilot a little respect, you short-haired, muscle-bound bitch." He paused to smirk and watch Jo sneer. "I'm Noah by the way. Noah Hayden, pilot and galactic smuggler. You're Jo Elliot and Duncan 'Dick Piercing' Nelson, right?"

"My dick is _not _pierced, bro!" Duncan shouted, attracting the attention of everyone in the bar. He retreated to his seat and tried to make himself small.

"Relax, I don't care where you stick your metal crap. I heard you two needed a good pilot for your little team. That right?"

Jo nodded. "Yeah. But don't think of this as a one time job. Think of it as a commitment. And while I'm on it, I just want to say that I'm surprised how _weak _you are."

"I get that a lot," Noah shrugged, taking a sip from his glass, cringing as the alcohol went down his throat. "I got brains though. I can fix anything and build anything. Hell, I even built my own ship. Called her the _Igneous _because I made her out of volcanic ores imported from some moon in the outer rim. Stuff's as hard as diamond, I tell ya."

"That's great," Duncan said, his eyes rising. "But are you up for joining?"

"Sure," Noah laughed. "I've been on Ebreon for a year and haven't accomplished _shit_. I'm in for whatever you want, but only if I get equal pay and full control of the ship. No one touches her but me."

"Whatever you say," Jo wrapped up the conversation. "Let's just go. Courtney's waiting."

The trio got up and left the bar and their drinks on the table.

* * *

Noah slowly lifted his lids and was hit with a killer headache upon raising his head. "What happened?" he cloaked through the pain.

"We were captured, I think," Brick replied. "They shot us with electricity and threw us in here."

"Great." Noah dropped himself and hissed between grit teeth. "I can't move. And why is it so cold?"

"Just relax. You'll be fine."

It was at this time Noah noticed that he was snuggled between Jo and Courtney. He closed his eyes and smiled faintly. "Well, at least the gang's all here. We'll all die _together_."

Brick got dead serious, his face scrunching. "Don't say that! We'll make it out _together_."

"Jo's an idiot," Noah deadpanned.

"What?" Brick said, confused at the sudden change of topic.

"We're all idiots for letting this happen. Even me, I guess."

Brick ran his cold fingers through his short hair and rested his elbows on his knees. "That's... mature of you. I thought you were all about yourself."

"Well, when you've been hit by a bolt of lightning it changes your perception," Noah said in a tired tone. "I've always known this group wouldn't last. Everyday it's the same thing. Argue, fight, resolve, repeat. Argue, fight, resolve, repeat. Every. Day. It's been that way for almost three years. Once McLean took over, Things got harder and everyone was on edge. You never saw it, but things were bad. Courtney and Jo and Duncan were always fighting until Duncan left, or we left him, or whatever. We were just... living. No goal other than money. That's all we wanted. Just some big bucks. Jo let it consume her and Courtney went insane from all the stress and I just tried to hold us together. You showed up and it got worse. You know the rest."

Brick sat in silence, absorbing Noah's monologue, every word of it, every syllable. Then he asked the question that had racked his mind for days. "What happened between Duncan and Courtney? You were there. Why does she hate him?"

Noah sighed. "You won't give up, will you?"

"I need to know."

"No."

"I do. I'm a part of this family too."

"_Family?_"

"Yes, sir. A family."

Noah groaned and turned over to look him in the eye. "Okay. Just don't tell her you heard it from me. In fact, don't tell her at all..."

* * *

Duncan sat on his bed with bags under his bloodshot eyes. His green mohawk was falling over into individual strands of hair. The minutes ticked away on the nearby clock as the stars floated by. The punk raised his head at the noise of an opening door to find Courtney standing in front of him. He lowered his head again.

"You okay?"

Nothing.

Courtney stepped forward and her foot hit an empty bottle on the ground. "Duncan! You need to talk to me. I think this is getting out of hand. That's the third binge this week and Jo's worried."

Duncan said nothing. He stood up and walked to Courtney, a slight sneer on his face. "I'm fine, babe."

"Don't call me babe when you're drunk. It sounds creepy."

"But-"

"You need to stop drinking. Please. Do it for me."

"I don't a problem," mumbled the drunken man, grabbing a bottle from the floor and pouring a last drop into his mouth. He threw it against the floor, shattering it into pieces.

Courtney grew flustered and took his hand. "Listen. You need to stop. You how you get when you..."

Courtney stopped, noticing a certain glimmer in Duncan's eyes. Anger. Before she could speak again, her face was struck and she collapsed to the ship's floor.

"Don't tell me what do, Courtney!" screamed Duncan, standing over her like a vulture on a carcass, ready to pick her apart. "I'm my own man, not yours, you controlling _bitch_!"

Courtney stood up and grabbed at her sore cheek. "Duncan! You-"

Another hit. And Another. And another. Courtney cried and cried as the hits came. Duncan stopped and grabbed her by the collar of her nightshirt, pulling her onto the bed. He locked the door behind him.

* * *

Noah sighed. "Then we got back and... it was too late for her. We, or Jo at least, grabbed that asshat and threw him out. Well, actually... We left him behind on a mission. Purposely. Since then, Courtney has hated everyone. Her senses are all whacked up and screwy. It's a miracle that anyone trusts her anymore and even vice versa. Just _don't _tell her I said that. Okay?"

Brick, now about to cry, let out a sad croak. "Yes, sir. Thanks, Noah."

"Yeah, now just let me sleep. I'm tired and-"

"_Where_ _is_ _she_?! boomed a voice from down the hall.

Noah and Brick's eyes widened and Jo and Courtney awoke with headaches.

Jo stood up and shook it off. "What the..."

A large, dark shape formed in front of the grating and the door opened to let it in. The lights flickered on, revealing the armored woman with bulging muscles and silky black hair, tied back in a bun.

She smirked wickedly. "Josie Elliot... I've been wondering where you ran off to."

"Chief Chantrey?" Jo scoffed. "Still high on testosterone I see."

"Very funny," Chantrey replied, her eyes rolling. "But let me just say that I've wanted to meet you again for a while... So I can beat you into the _ground_!"

"Aaaand I'm scared," Noah shivered.

"Can it, pencil!" Chantrey exploded on Noah. "This is between me and her."

Jo stood up and crossed her arms, a smirk on her face. "Well, we can go right here. Just me an' you. Let's go!"

Eva Chantrey laughed, causing Jo to raise a brow.

"What? That was serious! Let's go!"

"And kill off 70 warrants of reward money? Right."

Courtney gasped. "_Seventy?! _I thought it was _seven_!"

"Yeah, I stretched the truth," Jo deadpanned.

"Uh, _yeah_!" Noah exclaimed, still in shock.

Eva walked out of the cell, the door closing behind her. "Just sit tight. President McLean wants to put you four in the hotseat and make you pay for the murder of Mildred O'Halloran."

Eva left and the team collapsed against the cell walls.

Courtney grabbed at her face with both hands and spoke with a muffled voice. "What the _hell _happened?!"

"We're murderers," Noah sighed. "I don't know what happened back there, but I can say with unfathomable certainty that we're _fucked."_

_"You don't know that_," Brick said, stressing every word.

Jo snorted. "We're on a prison ship, off to get executed by the president. Do that math, rookie."

"Yeah, Jo. Do the math," Noah sneered. "Credits, plus mystery box, plus _you... _Do I _need _to continue."

"Are you blaming this mess on me?" Jo took the defense. "I _didn't_ get us here. It was your stupid ship that-"

"My ship _never _malfunctions!" Noah shouted, ignoring his dry, sore throat.

Brick grabbed both of them. "Guys! Calm down. We need to think rationally if we're getting out of here."

"How?" Noah asked in a disbelief. "Just... How?! We're not escaping. Ever. We're gonna die and probably horribly too. Now, we can either just kill ourselves here by bashing our heads into the walls, or we can... go with it." He gave up and collapsed against the wall. "I'm done."

Brick looked to Courtney for help. "What do you think?"

Courtney laid down and her side and shivered in the cold. "I just want to die."

Even Jo was saddened by that remark. She knew what Courtney had been through, but she never would've guessed that her teammate was suicidal based on her recent optimism and hard work. Jo let out a tired yawn and looked at Courtney.

"I'm sorry."

Courtney lifted her head and sniffled once.

"I'm sorry about everything. I'm a greedy bitch and I get that, but you don't know what it's like to be in charge. I grew up on the streets, so my hardness _is _me. I know you guys don't trust me sometimes and might even want me gone, but that's not the problem. The problem is that we have no connection outside of money. That's all we ever wanted. I guess it carried us away, huh?"

"I didn't join for the money," Brick sighed. "I joined to get away from those cretins on Iophus and do something other than kill. That militia was terrible and I wanted out. I thought you'd be better. I was right. You might seem down on everyone, Jo, but I get you. I get Courtney. I get Noah. I get everyone. I just don't get myself. I'm still finding my place, and I don't think it's here."

Noah yawned and sighed. "I guess it's my turn to admit my faults, huh? Well, I used Brick's boots to kill space mites, Jo's toothbrush to clean mold, and Courtney... Eh, I'll skip you."

"Way to take one for the team," Jo scoffed, smiling just a little.

"I do what I do best," Noah replied with a bow.

Even Courtney laughed a little.

The lights went out again.

* * *

Chris stood over the monitor, watching the body get carried, or scraped, off the dock with tears in his eyes. His lips quivered and his throat tightened. Topher stood next to him, expressionless.

"Topher, what do I do?" the president asked. "She was my only true ally on the council. Now she's..."

Topher put an arm over his boss' shoulder. "It'll be fine, Chris. We'll find a new one to take her place."

"She was a person, not a battery."

"A bad person."

"Still. She was a friend and deserved better. When I meet the people who did this, they'll pay with their lives."

"Sounds great, Chris, but what about her replacement? Any ideas?"

Chris left the room and looked back. "I'll think about it."

The door closed and Topher stared at the monitor, a smirk on his face. "My my. What a fortunate accident..."

* * *

**(ZWM)**

* * *

**~A/N~ Remember how I said this update would be awhile? Yeah, I underestimated my desire to redeem this story from the hot mess of chapter six by writing what I consider to be the developmental chapter so far. Hopefully you'll all agree that this wasn't rushed or contrived or lame... like chapter six, which was so bad that it's a running joke. XD**

**Only one chapter remains in Act I... The Finale! It will change **_**everything **_**about the plot and no one will suspect the twist I've planned from day one. **

**Until next time, drop a review, fav, and follow, and I'll see you in the finale! Foreseer... out!**


	8. V

**~A/N~ Everything is about to change. Welcome to the final episode of Act I! **

**(If you missed Chapter 7 due to quick update times, make sure to read it first.)**

* * *

_Act I_

_Chapter 8: V_

* * *

The chrome room was tinted with sky blue light as the six floating faces murmured to each other. Each face, firmly planted on a holo-screen, was in distress as everyone knew what had happened earlier that day.

Zoey just looked sad. The bags under her tired eyes were even more noticeable than before thanks to her recent awakening. She let out a tired yawn and closed her eyes for a quick rest.

Alejandro was smirking on his screen. Secretly, Blaineley was the equivalent of a rat to him, sneaky, pesky, and disease-ridden. Out of the heads, he was the by far the most confident in himself, evident by his fancy wear and prefect grooming, combined with the smile of a god.

Next to Alejandro was a man with almost equally good looks, but lighter skin. Brady was his name, and playing cool was his game. Labeled "doll-like" by his people because of his perfect appearance and surgical enhancements, Brady's leadership skills always went undermined. As he waited in place, he caught up with Alejandro, a man with whom he could always connect.

To Brady's right was a younger woman with narrow eyes and a button nose. She wore regal gems around her neck and two fiery feathers around her ears. Sky Podemski, a darling by any standards and quite the sex symbol to men (and some women) across the galaxy, was always caught calm, cool, and collected. Never before had her smile worn, until now that is. She was frightened as she twiddled her thumbs, eager to get on with the meeting.

Next to Sky was a large, dark-skinned individual named Beverly, a man with the unfortunate fortune of having a female name. To his credit, he was largely ignorant to the teasing and used his advanced technological prowess to lead his own planet in the inner rim, earning him countless awards. However, his throat had been damaged at an early age by a malfunctioning invention of his, leaving him with only a vocal keypad to communicate.

At the end of the row was Bridgette Fairlie, a soft spoken newcomer to the council with little to say at the moment. Like Brady, she was often seen as "chill" by her people and rarely offended anyone, making her an easy vote to grab in decisions. She, along with her mother, Carrie, ruled over a watery planet that she had named "Surfulous" for obvious reasons and to the dismay of the rest of the council, who considered the name idiotic.

The doors opened and everyone went quiet as Chris took the stage and coughed loudly. All eyes went to the president as he began to speak from his lectern.

"Welcome to our emergency council meeting, my fellow leaders. I understand that..." Chris gulped. "I understand that this was quite a surprise to all of you. To me, it was gut-wrenching to watch this happen in front of my eyes and to lose a valuable member of our council, as well as a dear friend of mine. In times such as this, we must not sit idle and let this tragedy pass by. We must honor her and keep the galaxy is check, for our galaxy is our home, expanding beyond the stars every day. When our first galactic president left a destroyed and ravaged Earth, he saw a future where mankind would prosper among the cosmos, and I can proudly say that I have followed in his steps to create a safe and friendly environment for our progress into the unknown. However, as Taballius did before me, and as Ardor did before him, I, President Chris McLean, must act to appoint a new member to our council to take Mildred's place. I have made my choice according to this person's skill and swift management of issues under my command. This man has been an amazing organizer throughout his past five years of service to our galaxy, and it is, with graciousness, that I hereby appoint a Mr. Topher Jacot as President of the planet Ebreon!"

A holo-screen popped out of the floor showing Topher's smug face. The other council members clapped, but no one seemed too excited about it.

"Thank you, Mr. President," the new member said in a seductive tone, brushing his hair up with a hand. "I know the choice was hard, but I swear my loyalty to you and, of course, the Milky Way. Thank you all for accepting me into your group."

"We didn't accept anything," Alejandro snorted under his breath.

Chris stepped down from the podium and turned to his council one last time. "Thank you for your time. The next meeting will remain as scheduled." He left with a nod, leaving Topher to stare down the others.

"You're a fool," Sky scoffed.

"Yeah. You're not even qualified," Brady said, his eyes rolling.

"I'm more qualified than any of you," Topher scoffed back. "You know nothing of my role in maintaining the structure of our government."

"You've never held office," Bridgette sighed. "All you are is a glorified intern. Since when have _you _ever gotten out from under Chris' big wings?"

Topher snorted. "I don't have time for this." And with that, he shut down his holo-screen and was gone.

* * *

Chris flipped on the holo-screen in his office and Eva's face appeared, a cold glare on her face.

"You found them?" Chris asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah. We have them all in a cell. You should have them in a matter of hours. What are you going to do with those brats?"

"Kill them... After I get answers of course. I'd put them to work under me, but after what they've done I want them to die painful deaths."

"I can do it now if you want. I know the leader. She's a bitch."

"Really? Interesting. Feel free to rough her up."

"Sure thing," Eva smirked. "But let's talk payment."

"You'll get your share. These four will make so much money for me if I sell under the guise of you and your squad. I mean, I'd do it myself, but you have to agree that the president collecting bounties on criminals is pretty suspicious. I have billions already and thousands hate my guts, so I'm laying low."

"Normally I don't collect rewards, being chief and all, but you're right. There are at least 200 arrest warrants for these assholes out there, and just do the math."

"Millions..."

"Yeah. Millions."

Suddenly, Eva's screen began to flash red and she started to panic.

"What the hell is going on?" Chris asked.

Eva jumped up. "Breach!" She flipped the screen off, leaving Chris alone and speechless.

* * *

Jo grabbed the grate and tried to get a look outside as the ship glowed red with alarms ringing in the background. Courtney was helped up by Brick and Noah as the entire group collected themselves at the locked door.

"What's going on?" Noah groaned, still waking up from a cat nap.

"I don't know,"Jo said, breathing heavily. "I think there's something wrong with the ship."

Brick gasped. "It's going down?!"

"I never said that, rook-, er, Brick."

"Well, something's wrong," Courtney sighed. "Maybe someone broke out of their cell?"

A rumble shook the ship, throwing everyone to the ground.

"Some escape attempt," Noah shuddered, regaining his composure. "It sounds like we're under attack."

A group of armoured guards ran past the door, armed to the teeth with guns and shock sticks.

"What do we do?" Brick asked, obviously confused.

"We wait," Jo said. "If we're lucky, the door programming will bust and we'll break out. If not..."

"We're dead?" Noah quipped.

"Yeah, pretty much," Jo shrugged.

Another set of footsteps slowly approached the door and the group turned to find a figure with black armor outside. As they remained speechless, it pulled out a small pen and pushed a button on the hilt, shooting a beam of blue light out of the end. With quick precision, it cut a large hole in the grate and motioned to the group to come outside.

Noah's jaw dropped. "What the hell!?"

"Come now," the figure said in a deep, garbled voice. "We have no time to lose to your doddering."

Jo smiled and ran outside with Brick carrying Courtney right behind her. Noah stopped to look at the armored figure. From head to toe, black, shimmering armor reflected the red light of the ship's hallway. It's head was covered by a helmet with a glowing visor. On it's chest was a red "V" that reached to it's stomach. Noah hurried to join the others.

Jo ran past other cells where grimy men reached out to grab her, screaming their heads off. When she turned a corner, she crashed into a guard and he dropped his gun. After kicking him in the stomach, she grabbed the weapon and shot him in the head. The team, along with the black figure, joined by her side.

"Let's move," said the figure, pointing down the hallway. "We have to find the docking bay."

"Oh, that'll be easy. Let's just ask for directions," Noah snorted. "Obviously."

"Not funny, Noah," Jo growled. She looked from path to path until the figure stepped ahead.

"This way!"

Jo and her team followed the figure down the hall until they hit a locked door. The mystery person shoved their beam pen into the control panel, opening the door in a plume of smoke.

Jo froze. Waiting on the other side was Eva and a series of guards lined up next to her. The larger woman smirked and pulled out a gun.

Jo clenched her fist and raised her weapon ever so slightly. The figure reached over and pushed it back down. "Leave her to me. I'll meet you in the next room."

Jo nodded and took the others with her as the figure stared down the chief. Both people were locked in a staring contest, with Eva being a clear winner. She fired once and the figure went up in smoke.

* * *

Jo shot open door after door, killing any guards that moved into her field of vision. Brick kept Courtney in his arms to shield her from any stray bullets. Noah had grabbed a small shock stick and was ready to use it when needed.

When they reached ship's main corridor, bullets came from both directions, forcing them back inside the room.

"We're pinned down," Jo panted. "We need to get through that hallway _now_!"

Courtney whined with sweat and tears on her face. "There's not another way?!"

"Not unless you can teleport," Brick heaved, finally out of energy.

Noah remained silent as he looked down at his shock stick. Noticing the pipes that ran above the hall, he smiled. "I have an idea. Jo, shoot the pipes."

"What?!"

"Just do it!"

Jo heard the approaching footsteps from outside and went for it. She blasted a stream of bullets into the hallway, spilling the contents of the thinly-walled pipes onto the floor. The water poured out all over the guards, causing them to freak out and hit the ground.

Noah pushed the others back and turned on the shock stick. "Get out of the water, guys!" Seconds later, he tossed the stick into the hallway, making sure to leave him enough time to dive onto dry ground. The hallway exploded with electricity, creating a magnificent light show and frying anyone out in the halls.

When the lights were gone, Noah stepped outside to find dozens of dead men and women smoking in the puddles. He winked to his team.

"Nice move, pencil-neck," Jo winked back. "Let's go!"

* * *

The smoke cleared and Eva's smile was wiped away. The figure was still standing without a scratch. The chief fired again and again, her men joining in as well, but nothing could penetrate the thick armor.

The figure walked forward, inching closer and closer to Eva.

The iron woman stopped shooting and tried to smash the gun into the figure's head, but it smacked the gun away and locked with Eva in a brutal wrestling match. The guards stood by and watched as Eva pushed it into the wall and delivered a massive kick to the face that did next to nothing.

The figure grabbed Eva's leg and threw her to the ground as the nearby guards retreated.

"Come back here, you pussies!" Eva screeched, the veins in her neck bulging.

The figure stepped on her chest and stepped down hard, but Eva flipped it over, climbing on top and beating down on the glowing visor. It punched upward, but Eva caught the arm right under her chin. She grabbed her gun and smiled a wicked grin, raising it closer to the visor every second. Suddenly, the sound of rattling metal echoed down the hall and blood fell onto the visor as Eva went limp. The figure shoved the small blade from its wrist deeper into Eva's head until her eyes went limp before it shot back into the slot in the armor.

The figure pushed Eva off and wiped off the blood. It opened the door and joined the _Igneous _crew on the other side. Jo smiled at Eva's twitching corpse as she walked away into the next room.

* * *

The docking bay floor opened up and the five gathered around the hole in the ground. Below was a view unlike any other. Thousands of tall buildings shot up above the toxic cloudline like pixels on a screen, each square playing a vital role in the bigger picture.

"What now?!" Courtney screamed over the roaring winds, trying to keep hair out of her eyes.

"This," the figure scoffed. Seconds later, a shiny, black ship flew just feet under the docking bay. The wings stretched out far, providing a perfect landing platform.

Noah freaked out, grabbing his greasy hair. "Is that... _my ship?!_"

"Just jump!" Jo exclaimed, pushing the nerd onto the _Igneous_. Brick and Courtney dropped together, the latter trying to avoid injuring her leg. Jo and the figure followed behind and they all dropped into the hatch on top of the ship as it flew off into space.

* * *

Noah burst into the cockpit and nearly fainted upon seeing Duncan and Gwen. Rage came over his being and he let out a loud growl. "What the _hell _just happened?! And why are you on my ship?! Who's _this_?!" Noah pointed to the dark figure and took a breather.

Brick and Courtney just stood in shock, both giving sinister glares at Duncan. Gwen stood up and sighed. "Just take off the mask."

The figure nodded and pushed a button underneath the chin, letting out a hiss and loosening the helmet. A young woman was revealed, her glasses reflecting the glow of the atmosphere. Her blood colored hair was tied back in a bun. A smirk rested on her boney face. "I'm Scarlett Friday. Nice to meet you, _Igneous _crew."

"You're _a chick_?!" Noah gasped, taking a closer look. "Yeah, great, but what's happening?!"

"Yeah. Fess up," Jo mumbled, towering over all of them.

"Gwen?" Scarlett nodded and moved to the controls.

Noah reached to stop her, but Gwen got in his way. "Just let me explain."

"Yeah," Duncan snorted. "You punks need to hear this for your own good."

Gwen started and the others reluctantly sat down. "We were watching you for months. Duncan said that you three would be worth it."

"Worth it? Worth _what?" _Jo groaned. "Explain that."

"We need you for a very special project. Originally, we needed you to help us get Scott. He was a whistleblower for our operation and a danger to us if he blabbed to Chris, so we used you to catch him. We lost him, but Scarlett here got him later that day. The plan was to ask you to join our group afterwards, but when we discovered that Chris was using you to deliver a package to his ally, we saw a chance and took it."

Scarlett turned around in Noah's chair and smiled. "I snuck on board and rigged your ship to fire by remote command. Your set up was sub-par and quite fragile. I was surprised."

"You touched my ship?!" Noah exclaimed, angry yet again.

"Yes, but it was for a good cause: the destruction of Chris McLean. As we speak, you, the four that were chosen personally, are being transported to our base. You're _stuck _with us, and there's no going back unless you wish to be terminated. So sit back, take a nap, and just 'roll' with the plan. Okay?"

Noah let out a groan. "What?! I still don't get it!"

Scarlett chuckled and turned back to the window. She pressed a few buttons and the ship took off at lightning speed. Stars raced by in beams as Scarlett spoke up again. "You are now members of the Verge Project: an underground rebellion against McLean and the government. You may not want to join, but once we reach the Verge in the depths of the outer rim, you'll never want to leave. I hope you'll enjoy your stay."

Noah, Jo, Brick, and Courtney were lost.

Gwen and Duncan watched the four as they shared nervous glances. Gwen smiled to Duncan and he smiled back. Brick and Courtney were disgusted.

Noah and Jo watched the stars fly by.

The Verge... It rang in their minds.

The Verge...

* * *

**(transmission lost.)**

* * *

**~A/N~ And that's the end of Act 1. I hope everyone is both surprised and satisfied by this ending, because Act 2 is a ways off. I can guarantee that there will be 22 more episodes in the story, so anyone who thought this would be a short little romp in space might have just wet themselves with excitement.**

**Act II will introduce plenty of new characters and plots, so get ready... we're going to have some fun with this one. ;)**


	9. New World

**~A/N~ If you thought Act I was dark and intense, you haven't seen anything yet. With Act II comes new characters, new story lines, new places, and the meat of the full story. Enjoy!**

* * *

_Act II_

_Chapter 1: New World_

* * *

Everything was a blur. Explosions. Burning flesh. Tears. Confusion. Murder. Shock. The Verge. Nothing connected, like a puzzle formed from multiple sets. Pieces stuck together until one stray fragment shattered the union of many. Square one was insurmountable, even with all the evidence standing right there in the bright, chrome elevator.

The redheaded female, Scarlett Friday of The Verge Project, turned her head just enough to see the frame of her glasses "You can speak. It seems like you want to say something. Please do."

Brick shot a venomous sneer at Duncan as the punk leaned against the walls of the mechanical lift.

Jo just looked to her feet, her head hung low like that of a corpse hanging from a noose, slightly pale and numb.

Courtney had backed herself into a corner and wouldn't come out. She stared at her wounded leg without cringing.

Noah snorted. "This is stupid."

"Excuse me?" Scarlett asked politely.

"You heard me, head bitch in charge. This whole thing, us being here, is stupid."

"Just shut your trap before I seal it shut," Duncan hissed, his eyes radiating annoyance.

"Why do you say that?" Gwen asked. "You get more from The Verge than you would in your little speck of a ship. Better than wasting away out there, right?"

"I know that, but it let me get one thing straight, honey. Before this, we were breaking the law without Chris caring. Now, we're breaking it _with _Chris caring, and probably out for our heads to boot. Tell me how that contains any form of common sense."

"Noah," Scarlett sighed. "The Verge is your new home. You should at least learn our ways and see for yourself how special this opportunity is before you flee to your boring, monotonous life."

"Pfft. Fuck that shit," the snarker replied.

Gwen turned to face the group. "Anyone else have any input? Anyone _other _than Mr. _I'm Too Good For This?_"

"Yeah," Jo coughed. "I do. I'd like to know what this whole thing is for. It's been thirty minutes and I haven't even gotten a clue about this place. Spill the beans!"

Scarlett turned to face Jo. Her glasses reflected the glare of lights as they passed by the elevator, creating a sort of hypnotic pattern. "The Verge Project's main goal is destruction of tyranny and the creation of freedom. Our current target is Chris McLean, though past targets have included Presidents Jones, Taballius, known as Smith to his most trusted associates before his legal change of name to avoid the discovery of ten years of trafficking, and even the late Mr. Bennett. Yes, we're that old."

"And we can help you how?" Jo asked, still reeking of suspicion. "By slaving away as some kind of protestor troop for a quick buck?"

"We do not protest," Scarlett said, smirking. "We change." Protest gets one nothing, but with a little hard work and sweat, and maybe a few bullets delivered to certain people, progress is guaranteed."

"So we're terrorists?" Noah groaned. "Wow. Some guise of freedom you got here. Thankfully, I'm not involved in this. I signed nothing, so as soon as we hit... whatever floor we're going to, I'm out."

Scarlett chuckled a creepy chortle. Noah raised an eyebrow and frowned. "What's so funny?"

"You are, Noah Hayden. You see, The Verge Project has been living under the noses of humanity for nearly 300 years. Though we weren't alive to witness it, confirmation of our existence dates back to the era of Earth, years before the planet was left uninhabitable."

"We're kind of like that Illuminati thing from way back," Duncan said with a grin. "Only we're a real deal and not some wacko superstition."

Noah rolled his eyes. "And?"

"And that means you are not allowed to leave," Scarlett finished. "We can't have any rogue agents spoiling our plans, now can we?"

"It's a prison?" Brick asked, trembling in his combat boots as a flash of fear struck his chords.

"No," Gwen sighed. "But it might seem like one for a while. You do some tests, get a directive, and work your ass off. It's hard, but you get life handed too you. Food, protection, anything you want is yours."

"Then why were you out?" Brick asked. "I thought-"

"We have trackers implanted in our skulls," Duncan snorted with glee. "We can't go anywhere without being some blip on a screen, so why bother running away?"

"It seems bad, I know," Scarlett said reassuringly. "But it's a painless procedure done under the influence of anesthetics, so you'll never know it even happened... When we reach that part of the initiation of course."

Courtney quietly gasped.

The elevator door opened and Scarlett led them out into a crowd of people, all wearing maroon jumpsuits. The people stood on a bright white floor in an open room. A ceiling of lights and chrome hung overhead like the heavens, casting a blinding glow on the four newcomers. Although the crowd was thick, it was easy to deduce that the room was circular thanks to the curved walls that lined the outside edge. The center of the chamber contained a massive cylinder surrounded by a semi-wide moat leading to more layers of chrome ceilings above and more floors below.

The people parted to let the newbies through, watching them like some kind of crowd at a sideshow watching some kind of two-headed abomination walking around in a cage.

Noah remained perfectly calm with the intent of leaving, but Brick, Jo, and Courtney were starting to become restless, their stomachs bubbling with anxiety.

Duncan and Gwen received a nod from Scarlett and fused with the crowd before the others entered another doorway that closed behind them. They looked around to find themselves in a small chamber with grey walls and LED strips running from end to end.

"That was... crowded," Brick said.

"Yes," Scarlett said. "We have over 400 followers at this station, now over 404 thanks to you. They we're just like you, waiting for life to send some luck their way. Now they're living here at The Verge, enjoying themselves to no end."

"Sounds great," Jo scoffed. "Now what's the catch. You said we had to work?"

Scarlett shrugged. "Our station isn't cheap to run. We have many directives available both on the station and off. You may be a soldier, a mechanic, a cook, a miner, or if you're unfortunate, a worker in the caves below the surface of this forgotten moon within which our base lies. No need to worry though. We'll find you all the perfect directive in just days. Then you are all part of our community. But for now, I have work to attend to in my office. I'll send an advisor to give you a tour and show you to your cabins. Tomorrow is the day you all will partake in a series of interviews and tests. These will help us determine your best placement in our community. And with that, I bid you farewell for the day, _Igneous _crew." Scarlett stepped out the door, leaving the quartet to listen to the rumbling of a ceiling fan and their own heavy breathing.

* * *

Topher wheeled himself to the balcony of his Ebreonite capital tower and looked at the trio of setting suns, each casting a different shade of red on the colossal cityscape. Life was good for Mr. Jacot. He was president of a whole planet, a gift from McLean himself, and while he was certainly not cut out for the job, he wasn't going to blow it on his first day.

Reaching into his desk drawer, he found most of Mildred O'Halloran's junk still inside. Makeup, key cards, more makeup, some paperwork, more makeup, you get the point. The young councilman shifted through the useless waste of space, throwing out most of the eyeliner, lipstick, and botox, though the higher quality powders were keepers for sure. If Topher had any positive qualities to his position, it was his looks. No way would he go out on camera without some form of touch up.

When Topher's hand hit paper, he pulled out a neatly folded bill from the previous delivery. The young ruler opened it up and read the codename aloud. "Project: Convex... A Plan to Develop Ebreon's First Laser Defense System... Interesting idea."

Topher stuffed the page into his drawer and continued to roll around in his chair without a care in the world.

* * *

The door opened and the four perked up. A tall man with black hair and red highlights walked inside. His ears were pierced with neon lights that blinked from top to bottom in order. His pale skin was nearly pure white and his eyes were an odd shade of bright yellow.

"Another one?" Noah whispered to Jo.

"Greetings, newcomers," the man said in a dull, monotonous voice. "I'm Ennui and I'll be your guide today."

No one said anything. Brick stood up and looked at his team, expecting them to stand as well. Courtney wobbled her way to Brick's side. Jo followed suit.

Ennui turned to Noah. "Your dark aura is desirable, but I'm getting paid for this. Please cooperate or I'll be forced to use physical force."

Noah rolled his eyes and stood up.

"Let's get this over with," Ennui said with a tired sigh... so pretty much his normal attitude.

The goth led the quartet down a long hall way. People passed by, taking a second to stare awkwardly at the bruised and bloody group of newbies. Ennui stopped at a door and put his open hand on a small scanner. The door opened vertically and the five walked inside.

The room was filled with a bright blue light emitted by the large hologram in the center. Ennui approached the fuzzy light and typed a command into the keyboard on the terminal. A map of the station popped up, and it was _much _larger than the group anticipated. The main body of the building was a long cylinder comprised of ten floors, each having its own detailed layout on the map model. Around the Verge were several rings connected to the station by long hallways merged to the core like threads on a spider's web. Each ring was larger than the last until the center ring, which was thick and comprised of several rooms. Those below the central ring gradually decreased in size, mirroring the top rings.

"This is the Verge," Ennui stated. "Bask in its glory."

"Done," Noah sighed. "Can I leave now?"

Ennui stared into Noah's eyes, casting a dark vibe upon him. "No."

The goth typed in more commands and a series of red dots appeared on the map. He pointed to the highest dot, situated near the very top of the station. "This is the hangar." His finger moved to the next dot, which rested on the central cylinder. "This is the core."

Courtney watched in silence. She didn't want to talk. Not yet.

Jo was slowly becoming more interested.

Brick was nodding at each of Ennui's lines.

Noah still didn't care.

"This is the mine... These are the cabins... This is the dining hall... This is the council room... This is the training facility... This is the office floor... This is the library... This is the your cabin: Level 4-2C. Got it?"

Of course, Noah was the only one who had something to say.

"Yeah, uh, can-"

"Nobody leaves," Ennui croaked, his eyes drooping. "Never."

"I was asking where the bathroom was."

Ennui sighed. "In your cabin."

Courtney finally spoke up. "Sir? Is there a doctor around here. I need to... uh..." She gestured to her wounded leg.

"We'll get you treated as soon as possible. I'll send an escort."

"Thank you," she said with a grateful smile.

"Any other questions?" Ennui asked, his lizard-like eyes scanning the group. "No? Good. Let's go. All this excitement is driving me insane."

* * *

Jo laid down on her bed and let out a happy moan. "This is the life."

Noah sneered her way. "Didn't you get all pissy about it an hour ago? What's with the shift in character?"

Jo removed her boots and massaged her sore feet. "I didn't want to show weakness around these people. I still trust them as far as I can throw their sorry asses, but if I show any sign of acceptance, they'll break me. I ain't getting broken any time soon."

"Well, I'm liking the place," Brick said as she removed his armor. "I think we've finally found our place."

Noah sat down on the tiled floor and kicked off his boots. "We _had _a place: my ship."

"Yeah, and it sucked," said Jo. "Now we have food, shelter, and anything we could ever want at the push of a button. All we have to do is work."

"They stole my ship, Jo," Noah argued. "If it wasn't for me, you guys would never have gotten off of Ebreon in the first place. You'd still be there, rotting in the streets like some animal."

Jo shot daggers at the snarky jerk. "Hey, I'm here for the money. If it means enduring whatever these people throw at us in exchange for life's luxuries and some credits to boot, I'm all in."

Noah let out a mix between a laugh and a snort. "I can't believe this. I thought you wanted to lead, not led."

Brick jumped in. "You just don't like to work."

"Not true," Noah snapped.

"What did you ever do on our missions?" Jo asked. "All you ever did was pilot the ship and struggle to use heavy weaponry. That last mission was the first time you went out into the field in months. Stop being bitter."

"I'm not bitter," Noah said through grit teeth. "I just don't trust Scarlett, Duncan, Gwen, Ennui, and anyone else in this place. Don't you find it suspicious that we can't leave this place? Is it not weird how _comforting _a secret society that exists for the sole purpose of killing leaders is being?"

"Noah, calm down," Brick said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "They just want us to feel welcome."

"And it worked on you." Noah turned to Jo. "You don't trust them! Back me up here!"

Jo growled and sat up. "Noah, I've been eating paste and rotting away that ship of yours for years. I don't like these people, but this is better than your idea of paradise and you're not ruining this for me. Got it?"

Noah narrowed his eyes. "To each their own. Now I'd you'll excuse me, I'm off to use the restroom."

Noah left, leaving Jo and Brick to shake their heads disbelief at Noah's paranoia.

A knock at the door rattled the soldiers. Courtney stepped inside with a smile on her face. This time it was genuine.

"They fixed my leg," she said. "This place is amazing and... Where's Noah?"

"Venting in the bathroom," Jo sighed, laying back down and letting her body relax for the first time in hours. "The guy is right to be suspicious, but he's making it hard for me to enjoy this place while we have it. All he's done so far is complain and ignore all the good things we have in life right now."

Courtney let out a chuckle. "Really? I mean, I don't trust anyone here, but come on! The guy is way too paranoid for his own good. Hell, the higher ups have probably put him on some watch list... and that probably means our names are on it too."

"Exactly!" Jo groaned. "He's going to get us all expelled or killed or worse with that attitude. The egghead could at least _pretend _to be excited and spare us the annoyance."

"We just had a great bonding moment a few hours ago," began Brick. "When we were trapped in that jail cell, I felt some weight lift off our group. Now, Noah's bringing it right back down. We shouldn't turn him into the villain though. The man's still a part of the team and we should try and understand his views."

"I understand his views," Jo said. "I agree with him, but I'm not giving up all this luxury for his stupid ship and tubes of edible paste again. If push comes to shove, we take over. If they're a cool group and we can trust them, then life is all good and we're set for it."

"Agreed," Courtney and Brick said with nods.

The camera in the corner of the ceiling silently watched from its minuscule hole, it's lenses twisting to zoom in on the conversation at hand.

* * *

01010100 01110010 01100001 01101110 01110011 01100001 01100011 01110100 01101001 01101111 01101110 00100000 01000011 01101111 01101101 01110000 01101100 01100101 01110100 01100101 00111010 00100000 01000011 01101111 01100100 01100101 00100000 01001000 00110111 00110010 00111001 00110010 00110110 00110101 00110100 00100000 01110100 01110010 01100001 01101110 01110011 01100110 01100101 01110010 01110010 01100101 01100100 00100000 01110100 01101111 00100000 01001100 01101111 01100011 01100001 01110100 01101001 01101111 01101110 00111010 00100000 00101000 01001100 01101111 01100011 01101011 01100101 01100100 00101001 00100000 01010000 01100001 01110011 01110011 01110111 01101111 01110010 01100100 00111010 00100000 00101010 00101010 00101010 00101010 00101010 00101010 00101010 00101010

* * *

**~A/N~ And the hiatus is over. I wanted to get this out sooner, but with the new TD season airing, I wanted to wait until it finished because I wanted some RR characters to appear in the story as soon as possible. **

**Act II will be twelve chapters long, but I have most of it planned out, so the next chapter should hopefully be done within the next month.**

**Foreseer... out!**


End file.
